My boomer parent genuinely believes:

That I’m broke because I buy too much stuff.
That I don’t own a home because I’m not trying hard enough.
That my student loans are my fault for choosing the wrong degree.
That I should just “ask for a raise” like it’s that simple.
That therapy is a luxury not a necessity.
That $50,000 a year is still good money.
That working two jobs means I’m building character.
That retiring at 65 is still realistic for my generation.
And no matter how many times I show them the numbers.
No matter how many receipts.
No matter how many spreadsheets.
No matter how many headlines.
They look me dead in the eye and say:
“We had it hard too.”
And technically they’re not wrong.
They just conveniently forgot that hard back then still came with a landing.