family evaluation

Of all four things we are supposed to consider this week, I think social class has had the greatest impact on my family life so far. I grew up, with my three older brothers, in the lower middle class. My parents got divorced when I was five years old. After the divorce my mom was forced to work more to support my brothers and I. She often worked more than one job. As a result of my mother working to support us and my father no longer in the house, my three older brothers kind of assumed more fatherly roles. To this day, even though I'm grown and at college on my own, I still think of my brothers as three extra fathers. Two of them are close by and insist on taking me grocery shopping and taking me out to dinner.

Being of the lower middle class has also affected all of my family's motivation. I do believe that even if you cannot afford something or don't have some means to obtain it, if you have the motivation you can achieve it. Private schools these days are becoming incredibly expensive. I know the tuition for my high school is now $21,000 dollars a year, more expensive than many state and public colleges. Many people of my social class cannot afford to send only one kid, let alone 4, to private school. After experiencing our public school, my brothers and I knew we wanted more. We all have been involved in sports since a young age. We knew we had to excell in our sports and get scholarships if we wanted to go to private school. This fact motivated all of us to push harder in practices and games and make ourselves be noticed. Unfortunately, even with a scholarship and financial aid, some money had to be paid. This is where our family, especially my mom, had to make sacrifices in order to rise above the restrictions of social class to achieve our goals and fulfill our desires. My two older brothers ended up getting scholarships to play hockey at a well-respected prep school where they boarded. I and the youngest of my brothers were able to attend another reputable private school nearby on athletic and academic scholarships.

College presented the same problem as private high school, if not a bigger problem. All through high school we had to work hard academically and athletically in hopes of receiving scholarships that would help pay for the expenses of a college education. Unfortunately, it's much harder to get a scholarship in college. I think paying for college has caused a lot of stress in my family. Unfortunately, if you have high hopes of attending an institution such as BC as a member of the lower middle class, you are going to have to work very hard to pay off the expensive education. I know for me personally the financial aid and student loan process have been having a negative effect on my relationship with my mom. We often argue and get in fights over it. Paying off a large amount of student loans is something that looms over me constantly. Obstacles created by social class have stood in my family's path many times, however, I think it has made us a stronger, more motivated family.

As a result of the problems associated with being of a lower social class, I think I have a different idea of family than say a girl of my age from the upper echelon of society. Money has always been something that we've had to work hard for. My brothers and I got jobs as soon as we were old enough to. Once we had jobs, it was our responsibility to pay for most of our clothes, social activities, gas, car insurance, and many other things that were not basic necessities. Because of this, I don't view parents as the sole providers who pay for everything. I think children, obviously once they are of age to work, are responsible for providing a lot of things for themselves. In contrast, in many upper class families, the parents give the children anything they want and the children never have to work for a thing. Those children probably think that they have no responsibility in providing for themselves and their family. I view the family as a unit that supports one another economically and emotionally, and that has to make sacrifices in order for everyone to get what they need and want.

Obviously virtually no one would wish to have less money than they could actually have. However, in the future when I start my own family, even if I have the money to support a comfortable or even lavish life for myself and my family, I will make my children work for what they want. I think it makes for a stronger, more motivated and disciplined, and a more grateful and down-to-earth person. This desire has definitely been influenced by my experiences with having to overcome the obstacles of social class.