I speak, first, to my mother, who tells me about her week and the deteriorating state of our aging relatives. We're six years into this freelancing experiment now, and I'm less financially stable, as 30 creeps into view, than I was as a fresh-faced graduate of 21. I don't live at home, and I don't rely on my parents to pay my rent or fund my follies and travels. It's hardly surprising that I'm defensive when my dad asks how I'm doing for money. While acknowledging that fact won't pay the bills, it might help us to feel less ashamed.

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Persons: —, who's, It's, Freed, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Spotify