It's great to hear everyone's story, to know I'm not alone. My parents' lots have definitely improved since I was young (both remarried, my mom got an A.A. and has a slightly better job now), but that didn't translate into any kind of support for me in college. To this day, and despite my best efforts, they are totally clueless about what I am doing with my life. I think they also resent me for living so far away, which I must do because of a lack of opportunities in my home state. I've been working in nonpartisan public policy research for a few years, have applied to MPP programs for this fall, and still the only question my mom ever asks (and scornfully, I might add) is if I want to be a politician or something. Sigh.
I absolutely relate to the feelings of insecurity and alienation experienced in higher ed. I went to a private university, and had very little in common with most classmates. Not that it mattered much anyway, since I was working all the time and lived far away from campus. Thankfully, I had some very supportive and down-to-earth professors who made my life a lot more bearable. It was a hard four years, but I think I'm now better prepared to handle these feelings in grad school.
I wish all of you the absolute best of luck.