David Jardel has experienced this first hand. David recalls, “When I first graduated from college, I was hired along with a few other graduates to be an assistant at a news station. It was a really competitive job, and at first, it was difficult to make friends. We worked long hours and weren’t paid very much. We were all really struggling. Or at least that’s what I thought. But one day I overheard one of the other assistants, Rick, on the phone with his mother. He asked his mother if she could send more money to cover his rent. He also asked her whether she could increase the limit on the credit card she had given him. I got the feeling from the conversation that his parents were basically supporting him. I ended up gossiping about it to the other assistants. I Knew I was wrong to do it, but at the time, I couldn’t resist. We all had a good laugh about it, and it helped us bond as a group. But there was a price to be paid for that, and Rick paid it. We used to tease him quite a bit. For example, if we were ordering a pizza, we would say, “OH Rick, wouldn’t you prefer to have a nice meal at a restaurant and charge it to your mommy?” We meant it in good fun, but looking back, I can see how it might have seemed malicious to Rick. He ended up quitting. I’ve always felt bad about the part I played in his decision to leave.