It’s not easy growing up with less when your friends have more – though, if they’ll invite you over to share their toys and pool and maybe their vacation, that’s okay – and most of who grew up poor have vivid memories of the things we wanted so badly that our friends took for granted.
Former poor kids: what are some things you have in your house that you *never* had as a kid, things your not-poor friends would never consider luxuries?
— Victoria Barrett (@victoriabwrites) January 20, 2020
A few of mine are Kleenex, band-aids, ziplock bags, and paper towels.
— Victoria Barrett (@victoriabwrites) January 20, 2020
16 of those former kids are sharing those long-ago envious thoughts on Twitter. If you can identify, it’s awesome. If you can’t, you were probably the former, and it never hearts to learn a thing or two!
16. A good mom can make up for a lot.
The right shoes. A ? that would start most mornings. A dad. Someone to ask if I’d done my homework or brushed my teeth. Cereal without roaches in it. A house… But I had a mom who raised 3 boys on her own, working 3rd shift overtime at a factory because she ♥️d us. So. 🙂
— Everett Sizemore (@balibones) January 20, 2020
15. Kids are always green at each other’s snack options.
Snacksss omg. Not eating the same thing over and over until you get sick of it. Having the option to eat healthy. Eating out at non-chain restaurants. Clothes that fit (harder being plus sized as a kid)
— assata shakoochie ? (@sailorfemme) January 21, 2020
14. This one is so eye opening to read.
Silence—no TV blaring, no one yelling, no babies crying. Peace—no one is angry or stressed because of our home. Safety—no sense of danger or insecurity. Those intangible things stand out more than the material objects.
— Erica Waters (@ELWaters) January 20, 2020
13. Yep. Just putting what you want in the cart, paying for it, and leaving without even looking at the total.
I just remember watching my mom chew her lip while the grocery store clerk rang up our groceries. She was so stressed and would take things off the belt if we went over. My sister and I view wealth as “getting whatever you want at the grocery store”.
— Stefanie Moore (@Fontsensitive) January 20, 2020
12. You can’t put a price on that.
Certainty.
That my car will start.
That my toilet will flush.
That I can refill my meds.
That my card will be accepted.
That no one will come and take it all away.— Tony @ Setec Astronomy (@tony_bridges_el) January 20, 2020
11. Turns out real Kleenexes are actual luxuries.
Cold cereal, Kleenex, an actual bed (instead of a mattress on top of some boxes of canned goods—my bed used to change height depending upon how long it had been since the last big sale at the supermarket.)
— Veronica Bartles (@vbartles) January 21, 2020
10. I do wish I’d been exposed to more international cuisine!
Air conditioning, dishwasher, disposable stuff like paper towels to clean with instead of rags that were shirts or socks, ice maker, and I would add the tangential luxury of good grocery stores in an easy commute with good produce and international food.
— Lesley Carhart (@hacks4pancakes) January 20, 2020
9. So many kids saw ice makers as a sign of luxury (we had trays, too).
– cars that work
– canned food for cats
– a drink fridge
– a tv in my bedroom
– soft toilet paper
– an ice maker
– my own bathroom
– a laptop
– vegetables & fruit
– painted walls
– video game consoles
– an electric toothbrush
– braces (invisalign)
– furniture that’s not preowned— Polyshed Turb (@TurboErin) January 23, 2020
8. Hand soap, yes.
Qtips. Kleenex. Hand soap right next to dish soap. Pillows. Dog treats. Matching socks without holes.
Enough food to last weeks. sh^t like that is definitely a tell. The fact I keep a sleeping bag and camp pad in my car, that I bought because I can sleep in it if I need to.— Lauren Hough (@laurenthehough) January 20, 2020
7. Limited television options were real life.
Liquid milk
Cable television
Clothes bought new from the store
Drier sheets
Fresh vegetables
Name brand cereal
Fitted sheets
Multiple pairs of shoes per person
Vitamins
Unrationed toilet paper— Too Big To Fail (@Too_Big_To_Fail) January 20, 2020
6. That’s something most people definitely take for granted.
Oh my goodness, where to begin? So many things. A toilet, for starters. My family couldn’t afford to install indoor plumbing until I was 19 and no longer living at home.
— Cheryl Strayed (@CherylStrayed) January 20, 2020
5. Eating out was a treat in our house, too.
Hot cocoa. Non-thrifted clothes that nobody else wore before me. Eating out for dinner sometimes and not just special occasions. Also eating at amusement parks/ball games/fairs. (My parents would pack us back to the car with hand stamps and feed us from a cooler.)
— Seasonal Pun (@Pixelfish) January 20, 2020
4. Spoiler alert: they do not taste the same.
Cable
Snack foods for lunches
More then 2 pairs of shoes
Brand name foods instead of the Sav a Lot off brand ones that “taste just the same”— Teen Librarian Toolbox (@TLT16) January 20, 2020
3. This one makes my heart hurt.
Also, this is not a “thing,” per se, but having pets that you’re able to care for responsibly, spay/neuter, and tend to their veterinary needs. I think back at my childhood and it makes me want to cry.
— Martha (@marthakimes) January 20, 2020
2. I remember feeling fancy when we moved to a two-story house in 5th grade.
Stairs. I was convinced that only mansions had more than one floor.
— Stacey Filak, recovering from ConFusion (@staceyfilak) January 20, 2020
1. I’m pretty sure many kids today would struggle to think about living without internet.
Good food.
Cleaning supplies.
Multiple bank accounts.
A *stable* internet connection.
Peace and quiet.
Space.
A f*cking clock.
Lots of paper.
Tissues.
Snacks.
The ability to leave and go anywhere.
A computer that works.
Books. So many books.— EBOLA under the ? (@Gert001badger) January 20, 2020
I think I grew up somewhere in the middle, because I don’t have a ton of memories of really wanting things my friends had, but I didn’t have some stuff on this list, either!
Where did you fall on the list? What would you add to it? Tell us in the comments!