An Education On Low Income

During the school year my family is a low income family (side note: sometimes it's still weird to write "my family" and not mean my parents and siblings.  Am I really old enough to have a family of my own?).  During the years of living under this socioeconomic label I've gained a pretty good education of what it means to be "low income," or at least what it means for my family.  And, unfortunately, I feel the need to share my education with a bunch of people who have clearly been miseducated about this label.  Pardon my rant.

Lets start out with some synonyms (I am, afterall, licensed to teach English in the state of Utah).  Low income is not synonymous with low intelligence, low education, low morals, low responsibility, low respect, or low self respect.  According to thefreedictionary.com, the phrase low income is defined as "Of or relating to individuals or households supported by an income that is below average."  Low income should not denote an unwillingness to pay bills or work hard, laziness, the mismanagement of money, the inability to have children on purpose or the knowledge of how to plan a family, bad parenting, bad budgeting, or "mooching."  

In my family "low income" means that we are sacrificing now so we can have a better life later.  It means that our vehicles are 15 and 18 years old, but they don't belong to the bank.  It means that we don't eat out or shop at the mall.  It means that we budget like mad.  It means that we work and save like crazy during the Summer so we can have enough during the school year.  It means that we don't take elaborate vacations or have a flat screen TV.  It means that we live in cheap apartment that we can afford.  It means that we choose not to pay for cable.  It means that I actually read books from the library.  My home is clean.  We pay our own rent.  Our bills are paid on time and in full each month.  We eat healthy food.  We wear clean clothing.  We have fun as a family.  We are abundantly blessed with much more than we "need."  My choice to not work is a choice to forgo some of our wants now so I can raise my daughter.  It is not a choice to be lazy or not take care of my family.  It does not mean I don't respect or desire to use my degree. 


Class dismissed.