Generation Gap // Dealing With Parental Dislike of Internships

My parents and I aren't the best at communicating. Which is kind of funny because I can strike up a conversation with a random stranger at a moment's notice, with no qualms or hesitation at all. But when it comes to explaining what "The Plan" is to the parentals career-wise-- holeymoley, does it get crazy around here.

For example, internships. The parentals are not fans. When I got them during college, I got lectured to about how much time they were taking up {and these are the same parentals that told me I shouldn't study so much and that I should take breaks and go play}. I was asked why I never got paid. What is the point of giving away free labor if you didn't necessarily plan on working there after the internship ended? 

I'm currently interning for a tech startup in San Francisco and it's fascinating and I'm learning so much everyday. The understanding is that I will intern with them for three months {your normal, minimal amount of time at an internship} until the end of January and, if they don't have a position open for me at that time {which they might not since they are a tiny team right now and need people with more experience to handle their launch, and I totally get that}, then the two co-founders will do a little asking around on my behalf. Considering the fact that both of the co-founders know a ridiculous amount of people in the startup/techy realm, I'm okay with that. The parentals, however...

"If they don't offer you a job before Christmas, you can tell them never mind. If you insist on giving away your time, then we're not going to pay for your transportation into the city."

They've reached the point where they've started questioning the use of me going to college since I don't have a job right now. That's always exciting.

I'm not exactly sure why interning has them all abuzz. You'd think that getting out of the house and meeting people and doing things and adding skills and experience to my resume would be a good thing. You know, as opposed to spending twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week {minus the eight hours I've been volunteering at OT places each week} inside this house with them, going stir-crazy and batty. You can only handle so much job advice from your mother before your eyelids start to twitch.

I know they have the best intentions and really only wish for me to find something I love doing and get paid for it, but getting upset at me about internshipping and telling me I should stop doing it really isn't solving the problem.

Another issue that's been brought up a lot is the starting salary they're expecting once I can get a job. Let's just say their number and reality's numbers don't match. We're talking, don't match by, like, fifteen thousand. O.o They advised me not to take a potential job position at the internship I held the summer after college because they said I couldn't live off it. Thinking back, I probably should've just gone for it. At least there wouldn't have been this ridiculous year-plus gap and I'd've been doing something I didn't mind with people I liked. Lesson learned.

I guess my point is that I need to remind myself that I am a grown up. And even though I don't really feel very grown up or look very grown up and *grins* think like a grown up half the time, I should at least act like one. And that means doing whatever it takes to get out there and survive on my own. Also, because I don't like being indebted to people, it would be nice to be able to pay back the parentals at least part of the money they've spent on me. I need to work on that.

*rolls shoulders*

*starts writing down The Plan*