I believe every generation of a family decides its own responsibility. This sense of responsibility comes mostly from what they lacked from their earlier generation.
For instance, my father didn’t get much love and attention from his father. So he decided, when he will have kids i.e. us, he will be around us as much as he can. He will be gentle and loving. Also, he makes sure that he has fulfilled all our “valid” wishes. Similarly, my mom felt that – there wasn’t anyone who would tell her how to study, and so she decided to guide us in our studies. No matter what, she took some time out of her busy schedule to look into our studies.