After picking up our daughter from the airport this evening (she had been visiting her dad since the day after Christmas), we headed to the grocery store to buy a few things I needed to fix dinner. Of course I was totally tempted a few moments beforehand to eat out but I remembered that I need to stick to the plan…the plan being to “avoid-eating-out-unless-we-utterly-have-to-and-if-we-have-to-we-must-eat-local-this-year” (local meaning eating out at mom & pop owned establishments only). Yeah, I’m on a self-debt-destruction campaign–more about that some other time.
Anyhow, we’re in the checkout lane when my daughter totally freaks out with all the food the family in the next lane was purchasing. When I glanced over to see what she was talking about, I could see this mound of food with a subtotal of over $230 and accruing. She asked me, “Why don’t we ever buy that much food?” Rather than hush her for not being polite, I asked her quietly to see how many were in the family. Way more than our party of 3.
In the car on the way home, she asks, “Are we poor?” She was still mulling over the checkout experience. I explained to her that larger families need more food because there are more mouths to feed. Our family is small so we don’t need as much food. Then she started to rattle off “indicators” of our “poorness”. My husband and I explained to her that we may not have lots of things or the types of outings she has when she visits her father; nevertheless, we have everything we need and a whole lot more…most of all we’re happy, loved, and healthy. With that, she was content/satisfied.
Growing up, my family had very humble beginnings. I wouldn’t trade those humble beginnings for all the wealth in the world. Our most happiest moments were those few years when my parents were starting their photography business. We lived in the back of their photography studio for about 6 years. My sisters and I had a slumber party every night making tents with the tripods and lighting stands (I’ll post a picture or two once I scan some).
I am grateful my daughter has the opportunities to experience things and travel to various locales with her father; perhaps at times she may think “we’re poor”, I know that one day she will know she is truly blessed.
