I know I’m biased. It is because of how I was raised. But I have one of these pet peeve things, which is young adults depending too much on their parents.
My upbringing was good. I had a good childhood. A little drama here and there, but my mom protected my brother and I from the bulk of it. I admire and look up to my mother for many reasons. One thing I’m particularly grateful for are the values my mother instilled into me of how I looked at money.
Somewhere along the way, likely with encouragement from my mom, I also developed a strong sense of self sufficiency and independence.
These traits have served me well and brought me a long way. Without the need for self sufficiency, the need to pay my own way and owe money to nobody but myself, I would have never moved to New York.
Okay, maybe if I grew up in an affluent home and my family didn’t want me to learn any valuable life lessons, I might have moved to New York under such circumstances.
Regardless of wealth though, independence is a freeing, rewarding experience into adulthood. You learn things. You become more able and capable than you ever thought possible. You know that no one is going to bail you out of a sinkhole, so you learn ways to stay afloat.
Tell me, if you parents wrote you a $1,000 check every month… Heck even every other month… What value does that money have? Have you rightfully earned it? Have you learned a lesson? No. In fact, the opposite has happened. It teaches you a bad habit. It teaches you that, when you’re in trouble, someone is going to bail you out. You just have more money from your parents tucked away and you keep living a mindless, immature fantasy world of what it’s really like to be an adult. What do you do if, heaven forbid, nobody is there to lift you out of your rut anymore? Where is your self sufficiency? How will you get out now? Years of depending on your parents and their money will not teach you the skill sets to get you out of that rut!
Asking for, and accepting, money from your parents should be a decision that is not taken lightly. You should first and foremost depend on yourself and you will, in turn, learn the proper lessons of success, money management, and maturity.
Pursue your dreams. Make them happen not with money from your parents, but hard earned money. Sweat and blood money. Your sweat and blood. Not only will you learn more valuable lessons, but the reward in the end is so much more satisfying. The uphill battle is yours and yours alone.
Thanks for letting me rant! And, as always…
Be Fierce!!
Briauna Mariah (: