Fair Share Contribution

Had an interesting conversation with a cashier at Menards today as my wife and I were checking out. She was complaining about her mom buying snacks which were causing her to gain wait. That was one of the downsides of living at home for her. She was twenty and had been living on her own before having to move back in. On her own she didn't have enough money to buy extra food to snack on so she stayed thin.

I commented on the great deal it is to live with your parents but she couldn't wait to be on her own again. Apparently there wasn't a problem with her parents, she just placed a high value on independence. She was proud of what she accomplished all on her own.

I felt a little bad for her. She was chasing the American dream but it seemed way to rushed and very inefficient. Independence means a great deal of inefficiency because everyone has their own of all they could ever need. It would have been much more efficient to share a roof, utilities, etc. with her parents. But in her mind she wouldn't be pulling her weight.

I think a fair share contribution to the community is the way to go. The element of responsibility is maintained but everyone in community benefits from the efficiency. I tease my kids that I'm kicking them out of the house as soon as they finish high school. I tell them we're going to move away in the middle of the night and leave no forwarding address. They counter with proclamations that they will never leave. The reality will probably be somewhere in between.

Our cashier was driven to be independent. I think it is sad that our society creates that kind of value for our kids. I'll be 42 years old in a little over an hour and it is too bad I had to get so old before I realized it was okay to rely on others. Our cashier seemed like a nice person. Hopefully she'll learn that lesson a little earlier than I did.