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I pondered my own question...
I buy my Mom a lot of things because she struggles financially. She was a stay-at-home Mom that was forced out into the big bad world after divorce. That may be her "payback" but she would never call it that.
Although I had a great childhood and even enjoyed my teenage years, my parents marriage fell apart when I was 14 and my Dad wasn't the best Dad for a few years. He did not pay child support and my Mom had to work twice as hard to make ends meet.
So with my Mom, it may be a psychological thing about her feeling that she should provide for her kids and not the other way around. The reality is that she did a ton more for me than I could ever do for her. I am who I am because of her.
With my Dad, it may be a guilty feeling about not being around during my most expensive years as a kid (since I didn't go to college). He also missed out on a lot of milestones.
My Mom will never get it though. She was always my inspiration, so buying her things (in addition to showering her with love) is my way of saying thanks for believing in me and making sure I landed on my feet. She struggled to give me a good life and I think of this as the payback for always putting me first and going without for so many years so that I could go with. You would have never guessed that we were poor when I was a teenager.
My Mom is the epitome of the single Mom that always put her kids first.
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