Isn't it funny how we are independent yet everything relies on our parents?

what is the true meaning of being independent? anyone has their own perception regarding that matter. Independence can be a very strong personal thing! You have to decide how independent you want to be and what independence means to you. it doesn't always mean living alone and it's not just about where you live. Independence includes things like good decision-making skills and learning about all the areas in your life where you can take charge. Independence doesn't mean you have to be alone and make decisions by yourself. something that's really important to know is this: WE ARE ALL INTER-dependent! what does it mean? it means no one has to be on their own without any help or support. our ultimate goal should be interdependence. that means having the drive to tackle our goals alone, but also having the wisdom to ask for help when we need it.

For school, your key problem is that you are under 24 and not married. Plus I bet you never declared yourself as independent thereby not having to list your parents income. Same thing goes for your medical care. If you work, you should not have to include their income for your medical insurance. Also, most hospitals have some type of free or low cost income that only uses your income. You can get your Ob/GYN check ups for free of just a few buck, pills for a few cents every month.

Im 23...I havent lived with my parents since I was about 15, but had to use them for most everything financially because I wasnt able to get anything (Like a house to live in, credit...anything put into my own name) Which SUCKED, since we didnt get along...my parents and I. Because my parents werent legaly responsible for me when I graduated (I was 18) and wasnt living with them I was able to get everythign I needed. But a friend of mine DID live with her parents still and she didn't have to claim their finances. She worked a full time job and used that only. I am in Missouri...so maybe things are different here...IDK...but your parents shouldnt be financially responsible for anything of yours. I do know that my friend had to show that she was financially responsible for herself. Like showing proof that she was the one paying her own bills, and all of that good stuff.

The government looks for any reason they can find NOT to help you when you need it. If you even try to help yourself at all, you can forget about the government helping you. That is essentially what they are telling you when they set those income limits for government assistance. I can't get disability benefits, even thought I have a physical handicap I have lived with since birth that is progressively getting worse, because my wife and I make too much money. I can't work jobs that require hard manual labor. I can't do anything that requires standing or walking for a long period of time. I can't do a lot of lifting or carrying things. All these limitations narrow down the types of work I can do, yet I can't get disability. The only way I can get it would be to stop working all together, but I can't afford to do that because we have a mortgage and other bills to pay. I went to school to try to better myself, but the career I had was lost due to mistakes I made, so now I am back where I started from. I am stuck working in a restaurant for low wages. I have to try to stand up and walk all night at work, so I am usually hurting so bad at night when I get home and first thing in the morning that I can barely walk. I have pretty much given up on trying to get disability. I am debating with trying to get a lawyer to help me get the benefits, but I am not even sure I could get it if I got a lawyer. Sadly, this is the situation we face. The credit card companies have young people right where they want us. We are locked into high-interest credit card debt, and the companies know that most people can't make it these days without using credit cards, so they keep sending out the offer, and people keep getting deeper and deeper in the hole. People are being laid off due to the state of the economy, so they will likely be unable to pay the credit card payments and other bills. Eventually, the card companies will be charging them not only a late fee each month, but an over-the-limit fee as well. People can't afford health insurance, and can't afford to go to the doctor. Most decent companies are in hiring freezes. It is not likely to get better any time soon. The bottom line is that the government does not want to help you, me, or other people like us. Our government has a habit of rewarding laziness and lack of ambition. Those of us who try to better ourselves or our situation are pretty much on our own.

Parent will always have a hold over their children because they have more money. i thought about this already before. I can't stay away from my parents because they pay for everything. If they kicked me out of the house and refused to give me a single cent then I'll be doomed for sure. We just have to rely on them for a long time. Even when you're financially stable already, you still need your parents for advice and "mothering." Although I hope to be richer than them by the time I reach 30.

I'm sorry. You are in a lousy position. Honestly it sounds like you might need to move out of Pennsylvania. I know when I was in your same position, my dad's company covered my health care until I was 21 so long as I was taking a full course load, but maybe you need to move to another state where you can get a job and find a super cheap apartment, then the government will have to give you some financial aid. Also, I know it sounds cliche but there are a lot of scholarships out there to be had. I know you can buy a program for your computer that allows you access to a database of nearly every scholarship that is available. I think the program costs like 30 or 40 bucks. Again I'm sorry for your situation. I know it sucks. Hang in there and try not to get discouraged. Best of luck to you!

It is that way around here as well. When my daughter lived with me after she turned 18 and was out of highschool, she also could not get any insurance or help. Being a single mom, I really didn't help her out all that much. She did pay a small amount of room and board but other than that, she provided for herself. I did not claim her as a dependent on my taxes so I really didn't understand it. I think maybe they consider the fact that most kids living at home are not paying costly rents, utility and fuel bills. They probably figure that the ones that are juggling school, part-time jobs, rent,heat,electric bills are more needy. I don't know,really.

Well, I do not know about the US, but here in India, such programs exist, but very few people take use of it. Another thing that is wrong is that they give aids based on caste, rather than financial conditions. It's kinda sick because we as students can't even take a loan because we have to put up something as a leverage for them to give us loans. We are working hard, studying day and night to get something for ourselves, and they want us to give something in leverage to get money for that education, which is completely confusing. I'm so lucky that I'm born in a middle class family and my parents have been kind enough to give me education and make me independent enough for now. It so happens that the laws are very confusing and rather than helping its citizens, it cause more troubles. bourne

It sucks, I went through it, too. My financial aid paid my tuition, and then the left over balance I always used towards my apartment's rent. Get this, one year my father filed for an extension on his taxes (perfectly legal). Well the school couldn't process my financial aid without his tax information! I worked with the financial aid counselor for months, finally they created a grant to cover my expenses (they made it for the same amount I had been awarded the previous year) and then the financial aid just reimbursed the grant. Thank god, it was my last semester, I may never have finished college without it! You're almost at 24, aren't you? Maybe it will be easier to just wait until you can be considered without your parents?