...but for many gen ys parental assistance at 25,26,27 is normal).
That's pathetic, isn't it? How humiliating that SHOULD be.
I lived at home for 3.5 years during college. My parents covered room, board and insurance. I covered the cost of everything else.
I didn't like relying on them that much, but it kept my mom happy that I was still living there, and it was way more financially respectful of them than expecting them to pay the full cost of me going out of state to college. That's what most of my friends did. I just couldn't see saddling my parents (or me) with that kind of cost when I could get a perfectly good college education in the same town.
I moved out during grad school because I had a 2nd job (as a grad asst) and had found a roommate I could trust to pay their part of the rent. They still covered the insurance.
After grad school I was on my own. Had I had a major emergency they would of course have helped out. That's what family does.
I would live dirt cheap before I expected my parents to take care of me after I got out of college. In fact, that's exactly what I did for the 5 years after I got out of grad school. I was cleaning out old papers while home sick this week and found my (and my wife's) SS income history statements. We lived on $3000 to $6000 gross pay a year. We paid child support, too. Median family income in 1985 (in 1985 dollars) was $24000 a year. We weren't on welfare, we weren't on food stamps. I worked 14 to 16 hour days, 5 to 7 days a week.
I asked my parents for a $2500 loan to purchase a computer so I could make money with it. No one else would have loaned it to us, we were too poor. And I paid it back early, which wasn't easy.
I simply can't imagine expecting my parents to pay my rent, car payments, etc.
In year six of our marriage, I got a corporate job that paid $30000 a year. We felt like we were rolling in dough.
In year 7 of our marriage, her mom gave us $10000 to use as a downpayment on a house. We bought a $65000 house ($55000 loan) and cut my commute mileage in half. That's the highest home-price to salary ratio we've ever bought at. The next was for $135000 vs $100000 of income. The next was for $120000 vs $156000 of income. but I digress.
Anyway, how do people accept that their parents should be financially repsonsible for them at 25+?