Growing Up Poor

If my mother taught me one thing, it was how to save and spend money.  However, I don't believe that I truly grasped the training because I'm not the best at it.  But, I do believe she taught me that.  Growing up poor sucked!  Let me reiterate that, growing up poor SUCKED!  And, I grew up poor probably at the worst time.  Now a days, I believe most everyone shops at Walmart.  You can get clothes there and I don't think kids really care because EVERYONE shops at Walmart.  However, when I grew up there was no Walmart.  My mother had to take us three kids to second hand stores, wait for some super deal to come along at a "real store", lay away at K-Mart, or yes, even the Deseret Industries, for clothes!  Unfortunately, when I grew up from the mid 70s to the very early 90s clothes were HUGE!  What you wore defined who you were.  Sad?  Yep.  But very true!
School lunch.  Besides my mother not being able to afford "cool clothes" for us kids, I remember absolutely hating school lunch.  If your parents met a certain financial shortfall, the public paid for the students lunch. "Free Lunch" is what they called it.  When I was in grade school they had lunch cards.  You took your card to the lunch room, they punched it, and you ate lunch.  One small problem with this system they had back then.  The cards were different colored lunch cards.  White was "regular" parents purchased lunch cards.  Blue was "free lunch" lunch cards.  OUCH!  Seriously?  Your going to make some poor grade school kid carry around a different colored card to lunch to identify him/her as a "free lunch kid"?  There was not ONE grade school kid that made more or less money than I did back then.  Their parents may have but they didn't.  Kids can be mean.  And they are.  To this day I am very OCD when it comes to my daughter's school lunch.  I pay that religiously!  It's right up there with my mortgage payment.  Even if I lose my job, my health, my desire for life, that damned school lunch will be paid....by ME!  I'm sure the system is different today because we are very "politically correct" now.  But for the rest of my life that crappy ass lunch card system will always be in my memory and how it effected me. 
The "cheese line".  Yep, I was one of those kids.  I stood in line, holding my mom's hand, and we waited for our free government cheese, and milk, bread, flour, etc. etc.  Thank God the mean kids from school didn't have to go there otherwise they would have seen me.  Kids can be mean.  And, they are.  I remember "special nights" was defined by my mom being able to afford Kool-Aide, popcorn, and a VCR and video.  I say VCR because we didn't own our own back then.  But, no worries, you could rent a VCR back then too.  Sweet!
Shoes.  Why is shoes such a big deal?  In my closet right now are about 4 pairs of shoes that I've had for probably a combined 8 years.  Growing up poor however meant going to Payless and buying "poor shoes".  Air Jordans?  Yeah, right!  I had Payless shoes.  And other kids noticed.  Kids can be mean.  And, they are.  To this day I have no understanding of why shoes are that big of a deal.  I remember reading news articles of kids back east killing one another...for their shoes!
Child Support.  Before my daughter moved in with me, I paid Child Support.  It was my FREAKIN' RESPONSIBILITY!  Why is that so hard for some men (I say men because generally I believe it's about 90% of men who are required to pay this) to understand this concept.  You created life, you are no longer with the partner that created that life, you pay your fair share to ensure that life you created is taken care of.  How is that hard to understand?  My father paid $100 a month.  Ahem, for 3 of us!  Good job, dad.  He made good money.  I know for a fact he made enough money for us not to grow up poor.  But, he was busy getting laid, loving others, making other babies, doing "his thing" to worry about us.  Once again, good job, dad.  But I digress, this is not about my father.
My mother.  Strongest woman I have ever met.  Now that I'm in my late 30's I can say that still to this day.  Strongest woman I have ever met!  If there truly is a God who "loves all of us" and there truly is an after life that redeems gifts and blessings based on their world actions, this woman is going to be a queen amongst us all.  This rambling isn't about her either but I wanted to make sure if I commented about my dad that my mom got more respect and notice than he did.
Taxes.  I do not believe there are many people that love handing the government their hard earned money.  I do believe, however, that I enjoy it more than most.  I don't "enjoy" it, but I truly believe it is my duty to do it.  Growing up poor meant that the community paid for a lot of things that I enjoyed.  Food, clothes, water, heat, a bed, etc.  I don't make a ton of money now, but I definitely pay my fair share of taxes.  Do I hate watching people abuse our federal or state tax system?  Hell yes I do!  But, every tax season when I see just exactly how much Federal, State, and local tax I have paid, I am at peace with it.  Why?  Because I feel that if it wasn't for this system of taxes we have, I would not be here.  My mother did exactly was was supposed to happen when someone utilizes our government for support.  She was on welfare, hell, I mean WE were on welfare, she got an education, she started making her own money, and she got off welfare.  Bingo!  That's what it is for.  Hence, I pay into that same system she utilized, for me, when I was a child.  It's not a "your welcome" for me to pay my taxes, it's a Thank You!
Closing.  I am sure there are children right now growing up poor.  Good lord our economy sucks!  I work for the government so I'm somewhat safe.  But I know they are out there.  To this day, for no explained reason, I'll give a homeless man a $20 bill and just keep walking.  I'll throw a little extra in the supermarket's "do you want to help feed the homeless campaign".  I will be a secret santa and give a few hundred towards someone elses family struggling.  Do they use the money appropriately?  I don't know, and I truly don't care.  That's not my call.  All I know is that growing up poor sucks!