She did this because she is selfish.

I will never understand parents who intentionally clip their children’s wings for their own selfish reasons. They will sabotage career opportunities and relationships that can benefit their kids in the long run merely because it makes them temporarily upset or uncomfortable. I’m sure there are thousands of moms in the world who cry for months after dropping off their kids at an Ivy League school, but they would never consider not letting them attend that school just because it makes them upset. Being a parent takes endless sacrifices, and once your kid grows up, you must make the sacrifice of letting them go and experience the world on their own. The best parents do what they can to help their kids, but they also know when to let them make their own decisions. They need to be allowed to fail and given space to make the right decisions for themselves, not for their parents. 

The mom in this story is extremely selfish. She didn’t let her son spread his wings and go out on his own when he was college-age, even though there was money for him to do so. Instead, she forced him to stay home and help take care of the home. She finally fessed up to this act years after he had already had a military career and used the GI Bill to finish his undergraduate degree at age 41. Now, he has to mourn all of the wasted time.