I think that makes sense. Many times when students go for graduate studies they can get some sort of financial assistance anyway.
The problem comes with professional degrees (doctors, lawyers, pharmacists etc.). Even there, I think parents should help out as much as they can. We paid for all of our son’s medical education. We figured after we are gone it will all go to him anyway (he is our only child), but now he needs it much more than say in 15 or 20 years’ time. 100,000 $ now means much more to him than it would after we are gone. Everything going right, he probably won’t need our money when he inherits it.
Now, I appreciate that not all parents are able to do that. Still I think they should help out as much as they can.
One couple we know told the same thing to their daughter, that they will pay for the first degree only. Then she decided to do her teacher training, and they paid for that as well. Now she wants to do the master’s degree (in teaching) and she asked her parents again. Parents told her to go ahead, they will pay for it.
But whether in the case of my son, or this girl, they are not wasting their time, they are building upon what they learned, they are very much advancing their career prospects. So it makes sense for parents to help out if they can.
However, if after one bachelor’s degree the kid goes for a second bachelor’s degree, then he is wasting his time, and parents should tell him to make his own way.