I Grew Up Poor
I was born in Wyoming, and jobs were really hard to come by for my father. He finally found employment in Idaho, and we moved here when I was four.
My parents had to declare bankruptcy twice. But my mother always had a gift for making much out of little. She sewed her own curtains, and sewed clothes for us kids. I remember one Christmas, she even sewed miniature outfits for our Barbie dolls. My sister and I snuck upstairs to peek under the door and watch her work. She always did so much to make sure we had a nice Christmas.
We didn't know the difference. We knew my parents were stressed out a lot, but didn't really understand the reason why. We were just kids, only concerned with having fun. And it turns out, some of the funnest things were also some of the cheapest things.
We bought a rusty $5 swing set from a garage sale once, and had hours of fun with that thing. Looking back, I'm surprised we didn't get tetanus, haha. We would kick the soccer ball around, and play chase with our dog. My favorite toy was a piece of paper and a box of crayons. I still love the smell of a new box of crayons.
But my favorite thing to do was to go to the library. I could pick out any book for free. That blew my mind. I was always a voracious reader, especially during the summer. Now when I go back to the local library, I notice that it's kind of a dump. But back then, it was an oasis filled with adventure.
In our teenage years, my father started his own (now very successful) business, and we started to enjoy a higher level of affluence. We were introduced to the world of video games, and got a Super Nintendo one Christmas.
But looking back, the cheaper things were still more fun.
My parents had to declare bankruptcy twice. But my mother always had a gift for making much out of little. She sewed her own curtains, and sewed clothes for us kids. I remember one Christmas, she even sewed miniature outfits for our Barbie dolls. My sister and I snuck upstairs to peek under the door and watch her work. She always did so much to make sure we had a nice Christmas.
We didn't know the difference. We knew my parents were stressed out a lot, but didn't really understand the reason why. We were just kids, only concerned with having fun. And it turns out, some of the funnest things were also some of the cheapest things.
We bought a rusty $5 swing set from a garage sale once, and had hours of fun with that thing. Looking back, I'm surprised we didn't get tetanus, haha. We would kick the soccer ball around, and play chase with our dog. My favorite toy was a piece of paper and a box of crayons. I still love the smell of a new box of crayons.
But my favorite thing to do was to go to the library. I could pick out any book for free. That blew my mind. I was always a voracious reader, especially during the summer. Now when I go back to the local library, I notice that it's kind of a dump. But back then, it was an oasis filled with adventure.
In our teenage years, my father started his own (now very successful) business, and we started to enjoy a higher level of affluence. We were introduced to the world of video games, and got a Super Nintendo one Christmas.
But looking back, the cheaper things were still more fun.
By:
ARestlessSoul
Age:
26-30
