I'm the youngest out of two. My parents always gave my brother financial help any time he asked. Car broken? Parents to the rescue. Paying off credit card debt? Parents were there. Couldn't afford bond insurance for his business? Parents. I've supported myself financially since I left high school. Bought my own everything from then on, cars, homes, my education, you name it. My brother at nearly 50 still lives with our parents, has no job, and they pay for everything. Early on, if I got in a jam, it was always "we can't afford it". I stopped asking for help in my early 20s and thought if I could get myself into a jam I could get myself out.