Monday, July 16, 2007

Dodged a Bullet

I was contacted a few weeks ago to be interviewed for this article. The author wanted to use my real name but not mention the blog, so she wouldn't be "outing" me. I wasn't up for having information about my finances--especially about an issue that inspires as much intergenerational and class-related strife as this "getting money from your parents" thing does--tied to my name, searchable by employers and the rest of the world on the internet. Given how busy I've been, I lost track of the whole thing and fell out of touch with the author, but reading the article, I'm glad I didn't agree to be interviewed. With one exception, I think there's a sense that these kids just don't know how to sacrifice, that they're draining their parents' retirement accounts because they can't get it together.

This is not the case with the money I accept from my parents--it is a drop in the bucket to them, and an extremely substantial amount to me. Moreover, it's not money that goes to cover necessities for me--I live on what I make (in fact, I live on substantially less than I make), and the money I accept from my parents is used as extra savings, a way of ensuring that I can get the most out of the financial opportunities of youth.

I'm not saying I might not have been another exception in the article, but still, I think I made the right call.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think it's quite impressive that a journalist from the NY Times wanted to talk to you, even if for a not-so-cool reason.