This hit hard. Men are nothing without their next paycheck.
I had a small disagreement with my mom over the phone and told her to stop interfering with my life. She taunted me back. Remember when you would stay with us for months. You think we didn't have to make compromises for you?
I was stunned. I put down the phone. Pulled out my old passports began to count. In over 10 years of studying and working abroad, I had spent a total of 112 days in my hometown. The longest stretch was 43 days, when I had just finished my PhD and come home to India.
And I got taunted for that. I called her back. Reminded her that I had been a star student all my life. I was 17 when I went off to the college hostel. She didn't have to pay a single paisa for my college, I was always on scholarship. But a man gets no quarter in life. If you go 43 days under your parents roof without a paycheck, you will get taunts.
Dear men, prioritize yourself because nobody else will. Don't stay away from women. Date around, have fun. Allow yourself to fall in "love" if you will. Don't worry. It will wear off in a few days. But remember that ultimately you only have yourself. Put yourself first.
Edit: For people wondering what the disagreement was: I am divorced and living in another city. My parents have the phone number of my househelp. Through her they got to know that I sometimes bring my dates home. They called up and began accusing me of being immoral. When I said this is none of their business, they said my house has become den of immorality (lol) and how can they ever set foot in it? That's how things got so out of control.