I gave all of the money I earned at my high school part-time job to my parents to put in my savings account because that was how we’d been doing things (with birthday money, etc.) my whole life. I always trusted that they would give me access to the account when I needed it. Then when college came around, they wouldn’t give me any of my money, which I had been saving specifically for that purpose. So I had to work up to three jobs at a time during college, when the whole reason I worked so much during high school and saved almost all of my money was so I could focus on academics in college and not have to work. They wouldn’t even give it to me so I could buy a car (which would have allowed me to get a higher quality or better paying job off campus).

They eventually gave me (most of) the money years later, but I’m still pissed–especially because they just gave a nice newish car to my brother, who has never had a job, because it would be oh so hard for him to get groceries for his apartment now that he lives off campus. Please! Nevermind that I took the bus, got rides from people, biked, or walked a couple miles to get everything I needed for years, regardless of how sweltering hot or freezing cold it was outside or how far I lived from a grocery store.

On the plus side, having learned to rely almost exclusively on myself for everything, I’m much more independent than most people I know, I’m great at finding jobs and managing my time, and I realize that a car is a luxury, not a necessity. Not that my parents were trying to teach me any of those lessons–they were just being jerks.