Miss Asha, took us for Values, and we were impressed upon to help the poor. So one day I asked my father if we were rich or poor and the answer was "We pray everyday and God takes care of us." My father's salary as Lecturer in English at college couldn't have been very much, nor my mother's salary as a junior secretary; but between them we managed reasonably comfortably. Fortunately they were both thrifty and without wasteful habits, and they managed to put aside a substantial sum. My father's colleague at the college, I think a senior Chemistry professor, taught him to invest wisely. We bought our first car (second-hand) after a lot of thought and debate when I was about 22. Both rose very well in their respective professions.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at March 2, 2018 9:32 PM MST
At that age, I do think that I was aware of our affluence, but in limited way. I knew that we lived in a nice neighborhood with large homes, I knew that most of the kids at my school didn't live in that neighborhood, but that was probably the extent of it. I thought of it mostly in terms of the house and not in terms of what else my parents could afford (I don't think I factored in our frequent overseas vacations, for example).
We were so poor that I once burned my fingers trying to reuse a match to light a second kerosene lantern. I thought it would be a waste to use a second match.
I didn't concern myself about such things when I was 10, and my friends didn't either. We just 'were'. We always had enough food and clothing and a roof over our heads, so I was satisfied with what we had.
I knew some people had more money than we did but we were raised to not be ashamed for the lack of money. We had everything we needed and some of what we wanted. That is nothing to complain about.
I knew we were poor. We didn't have the same standard of living as our neighbors. It was just the way things were and I wasn't at all jealous or resentful that I recall.
No. Both of my parents had "blue collar" jobs, but because I was the only child I was spoiled and never needed for anything. When I went over to my friends house, and compared my bedroom and toys to theirs, it was apparent that I had a lot more than they did. This gave me an illusion that my family were better off than theirs.
I felt like I had everything I needed. We were not rich but I felt rich. We were not poor. Both my parents worked and they were not stingy with me or my brother.
Just Asking 