Even though they could afford whatever they wanted, he never asked for anything and probably had 0 toys. When his mum and dad hear that the reason he didn't have any toys was because he didn't think they could afford them, they cried
I think most parents will buy some things their children want, but not EVERYTHING the child wants. It's gotta vary widely from family to family though.
I relate to that. I grew up with a single mom hopping from home to home until we settled down. We were poor so I didn't have toys only two dolls. When my sister came along her father supported her and more. Yet, I was used to not getting things so I never asked for thing and felt uncomfortable asking for them. I would look around but never chose anything. This hit me hard and tears were shed.
My older brother could probably relate to that story, while i would relate more to noah's sister. I came along after my dad had secured a job at the government in the field he had actually studied. Before that i know he hopped from job to job, as a car washer and factory worker, all very little paying jobs. My mom hadnt lived in the country a year before my brother came into the picture. She didn't know the language, and didn't have the proper education to even get a minimum wage job. My dad had to carry both of them while my mom took courses to get her GED. By the time i was born, my aunt had finally been able to get my dad into her workplace and we were no longer below the poverty line. That was when i was around 2 years old. The coincidental timing of the two events (my birth, and my family's rise) actually led them to believe that it was me that brought them the good fortune. I think for that reason they constantly spoiled me.
IN the 1970s, when a teen's pants got too short because they grew taller but not wider, moms would add material to the bottom or take out a cuff to increase the length. We had meatless meals once a week or maybe twice to economize, not because of vegan or health reasons. Once, a group of us raked an old lady's yard, and our "payment" was a bottle of Pepsi each...we didn't have to share!
This is the context within which I view today's folks whining about having a functioning phone but it's not the latest model, or paying extra money to get jeans with strategic rips located "just so."
This is the context within which I view today's folks whining about having a functioning phone but it's not the latest model, or paying extra money to get jeans with strategic rips located "just so."