Hmm, my own struggle as I remember is a big one. I have many stories or actual memories of my own childhood. How many people never knew exactly how I lived or how home life was. It was hard as I child cause I never knew how others lived. I thought the whole world lived how I lived-poor and never really having much to call my own.
Again, I chalked it up to being a kid and not knowing much. I seen others driving cars/trucks. Yet we didn’t own a vehicle, now. We used to, but I have no clue what happened to it. I remember my dad driving a truck to work and leaving us for long periods of time. So I thought it to be a work truck. Again, I was just a child. Not giving much thought into how we lived and just thinking it was normal.
When I was little
I am starting to have more memories of when I was little, how my life was. Now that I see it more and more, I knew we were struggling. As an adult now, I can see that we were not like other people. My memories of growing up are what made me into who I am today. I grew up in the 70-80’s, which I think were hard at those times. Not too sure.
When I was in school
I remember not having money for school lunch or even an apple juice. I can’t remember if we had milk or not at school.Back then we could buy some apple juice to go with our lunch.
I didn’t have new clothes on the first day of school or get new clothes through the year. I always got some clothes my mom got me-thrift store or free kid store/clothing exchange.
Brand new shoes for school were hard to get also. I remember getting these canvas shoes for school, cost maybe $6 I think. So flat on the bottom too. Had to make excuses for why I didn’t own gym shoes, I remember finally saying my Mom couldn’t buy me new school shoes. How was she to get me a pair for gym also.
Mornings I made my own Oatmeal, before I left for school. If we had some, or toast if we had some. Many times we didn’t have anything but rice. So I learned how to make rice for breakfast, and my dinner.
I was unable to buy my own lunch, cause we didn’t have the money for it. If I had the things at home to make a lunch for school, I would. So many times I didn’t have a lunch and breakfast was my only meal for the day sometimes.
Was hard to get me new School Supplies each year, least I got some new books. No new pencils or packsack. My lunch bag was a plastic bag.
Always walking to school, even to highschool. Mom didn’t have bus fare for me to catch Public Transit, so I walked the half hour to school. Maybe it only bothered me cause I would get teased at school for it.
When I went home for the holidays
All I went through the more I thought I was Poor
All I went through I didn’t let it get to me