Absolutely crazy statistic for the day, from the New York Times:

Nationally, 34 percent of those between 18 and 34 receive cash from their parents annually, according to a study by the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan published in "On the Frontier of Adulthood" in 2005.

The stat is from this article, which is all about, well, kids who get money from their parents. If you are interested in seeing more about the study, you can see an abstract here, which seems to have some pretty serious detail, including methodology.

Hm. My mother recently asked me what I want for my birthday. Perhaps I'll ask her if she'd like to become part of that 34% - I'd be ok with $300 a month until I hit 35. Seriously, though, the last year or so my folks have been asking me to pay my share when we go out to eat together. Seems reasonable in some ways, but yet many of my friends parents would never dream of letting them pay for anything when they go out. It's interesting how differently parents view what they expect to pay for, and what their children should pay for.

I have to say I find the concept of taking money from one's folks for any extended period of time somewhat problematic. On the other hand, I tend to think that the well-to-do should recognize when someone is less well-to-do, and act accordingly (or at least offer to act accordingly), whether parents or friends.