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A comment on Using the hunger I experienced as a kid to teach mine about generosity (2019). Parent comment

Re:Using the hunger I experienced as a kid to teach mine abo... by phaedrus on Tuesday January 07, 2020 @10:21AM (#21980706)
I've felt both extremes. As a child growing up in poverty, I felt my intellect didn't match the situation I found myself in. I remember being deeply angry watching other children squander opportunities/resources I would have taken 110% advantage of. As a young adult I based some (not all, but enough) of my life decisions on "what the hell do I need to do to ensure I am never in this situation again?"

Yet also as a reasonably successful adult, I still never entirely feel secure in my class position. Sometimes it's hard for me to tell whether I'm being responsibly frugal or still living in a mindset that I can't afford nice things. Or if I do buy something high end then I question if I actually splurged because of a mindset of not being able to hold onto money, if that makes sense.

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Re:Using the hunger I experienced as a kid to teach mine abo... by liesister on Thursday January 09, 2020 @07:55AM (#22000775)
My sister went to university in another city. I decided to get a software job immediately with 18 because I have a mental illness that prevents me from performing well in academia. I was still living with my mom. 3 years later she comes back. Turns out she lied and she didn't even take a single exam and my mom had to return thousands of € in child support payments (eligible until 25 if you are a student). Although I felt bad for mooching off my parents I managed to save a substantial amount of money and used it to buy a tiny apartment with the money. Now the big question is: Why the hell am I the success story in my family? It should be the other way around!
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