Family Greed

I live in a family that has two classes of people: upper middle class and lower middle class. If you saw us walking down the street, you would never know we were related. The only grandmother I've ever known was in fact my mother's step-mother. While she put on a loving Dr. Jekyll face for her husband, her Mr. Hyde personality presented itself the moment his back was turned. She made certain that she placed a distinction between her step-family and her biological family. After my grandfather died, his wife made sure that her children were given the best of everything, including a college education. The rest were basically disinherited and left to fend for themselves. They were even turned out of their childhood home.

When I was younger I was jealous of the other group. They had everything that they wanted and they didn't worry where their next meal was coming from. Their worries were more about what new restaurant to try this weekend, while we decided whether a bag of beans or a jar of peanut butter would go further. They have every new gadget or vehicle that comes out, and they appreciate nothing. I can remember going to their houses and seeing expensive toys in their kids' rooms. The toys would all be broken, and the children would simply demand more. While we have almost night (compared to their riches), we work for what we have and we are happy at the end of the day. They spend too much and have children who will never be able to earn enough, as adults, to keep themselves in the lifestyle that they have become accustomed to. Because they are used to having everything handed to them, they are not used to doing actual work. I fear for them once they enter the real world.

While they don't throw it up to our faces that they think our jobs, friends, and lives are beneath them, you can tell they feel that way. In effect, they have built an invisible wall that separates us from them. I have never desired to encroach their lives. They are anxious Prozac people. They have better jobs and yet they don't seem as happy as the rest of us. I have a much simpler life, and I like it that way. I might not have everything I want, but I have everything that I need.