Blog Game

I saw this on a few other blogs, and I thought it sounded interesting, so here goes:

The list is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. The exercise developers ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright."

Father went to college.
No. He dropped out of high school in the 10th grade.

Father finished college.
No. He never attended college.

Mother went to college.
No. She only has a high school diploma.

Mother finished college.
No. She never attended college.

Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
Definitely not. My family was poor when I was growing up, and the teachers were all middle-class.

Have any relative who is an attorney, physician or professor.
One of my older sisters is a child psychologist and is the director of a youth group home/mental health agency.

Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
I always loved to read (still do), but didn’t own many books as a kid. I mostly had books from the library.

Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
No.

Were read children's books by a parent all the time.
My mother read to me and my brothers and sisters occasionally.

Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18.
Only free swimming lessons at the local public pool (but I still can’t swim!)

Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18.
No.

The people in the media who dress and talk like you were portrayed positively.
No, because I was quiet, shy, and a bookworm. I was also poor, and on TV, no one is poor. Even working class families on TV live in beautiful houses, have nice cars, and their kids attend good schools (can we say unreality???)

Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
No.

Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
No. I paid for all my college tuition and books myself with work and financial aid.

Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs.
No.

Went to a private high school.
I went to a Catholic school, but didn’t graduate. I dropped out in the 11th grade and later got my GED.

Went to summer camp.
Went to a free camp at the Salvation Army one year.

Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
No.

Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
Only once or twice but they were cheap motels. Occasionally we would go camping.

Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.
I can only count a few times when I got new clothes. Almost all of my clothes were either from secondhand stores, hand me downs from an older sister, or were clothes my family got from our church. I didn’t really have new clothes until I turned 16, got a job, and started buying my own clothes.

Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down.
No. My dad never even had a new car. He only had used ones, and occasionally he didn't have a car at all, and he would have to take two busses to get to work. I grew up in the city, so my brothers and sisters and I were able to walk or catch a bus most anywhere we wanted to go.

There was original art in your house when you were a child.
No.

Had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
When I was 17.

Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home.
Yes, they owned a house, but just a small, ordinary ranch (one-story, no basement or attic) house.

You had your own room as a child.
Not until I was a teenager and some of my siblings had moved out. As a kid I shared a room with two of my sisters.

Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course.
No.

Had your own TV in your room in High School.
No.

Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College.
Had a 401K, because I didn't start college until I was 19, and was already working full-time.

Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.
No.

Went on a cruise with your family.
No.

Went on more than one cruise with your family.
No.

Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
No art galleries, but occasionally we would go to the natural history museum here in Cleveland.

You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.
Definitely not! I was very aware of how much utility bills, a mortgage, and food all cost.