i can relate, although i had a rather sobering talk with my mom last week.  we were discussing what would happen if both my parents died.  i would insist on finishing raising jake...but that would definitely require that i take out a loan, finish my degree in education, and get a stable teaching job with benefits.  right now, i'm only free to pursue what i want because of the support i have from them.  if disaster befalls me, i suppose i will just have to "grow up."

that being said, disasters hopefully won't befall my family, and i will eventually carve out my own way to grad school and getting a degree in a field i actually want.  many of my friends are bitter right now because they feel their degrees were a waste and their parents are nagging that they are just lazy.  but in reality, it was they who raised us to be whatever we wanted to be, to dream big, to spend lots of money on college, etc.  and now the economy is shit and reality is upon us, everyone, young and old.  we just need help understanding each other, i guess.

i also actually told my mom how i was feeling last week.  i said i felt like she supported me in many ways, but moreso when i was younger, and now that i'm adult, every time she questions my job choices or where i want to move or what i want to do, it makes me feel like nothing is good enough.  i probably shouldn't have brought it up in the way that i did, in anger, but i'm glad it's at least out there now.  i don't think many parents are conscious they are doing it - it's just another byproduct of the bad economy and typical parental worries.  they want the best for us, and hard work was enough back when they were starting out. furthermore, we were really smart growing up, so they will ALWAYS expect more from us.  i've just accepted that and learned to voice how i feel, and if necessary, take my support from friends and strangers, even coworkers when times are rough.