I feel the exact same way! I grew up with many things as a child. I didn’t realize what it meant to have clothes, food, water , etc. i always wanted more and I believe I was a super stubborn child. I am also white but I still feel like I don’t experience white privilege as much as many of my friends or other strangers. We can’t just go around judging one another without knowing our backgrounds and our nature of why we are the way we are. You never know the battles that one may face in life and sometimes when people start to joke around about the struggles of someone the jokes can often lead them to go over the edge and feel bad about themselves. Societies definitely shaped to help the “white man”out and has never really backed up the idea of supporting minorities. Everyday struggles have a significant impact on a person yet they still store it inside because who’s going to sit back and feel bad for you? No one.

I myself having lots of things growing up felt guilty because some of my friends didn’t have much. I’d often bring my friends toys or food from home because I knew they didn’t have what I had. The smile on their faces always made my day and I always made it a point to help someone even if it was a stranger. The same thing goes for me today. I may help a homeless person out, a friend out or just a random stranger. I’ve learned to appreciate everything I have because one day it can be gone in a blink of an eye. Capitalism is everyone’s enemy even when you have everything you desire.

Being the youngest, I always had hand-me-downs, which sometimes I liked, and sometimes I hated. Growing up, I was always independent when it came to getting myself dressed, combed and ready for the day. I think majority of that was enforced the way my mom raised us because there were too many kids for her and my dad to of done it all. Also, it was put on my sisters’ responsibility to of taken care of me getting ready in the morning but because I was stubborn that I wanted my hair a certain way, I became independent to do it myself since a young age. My sisters and I are nine+ years apart that when I was growing up, times changed, style changed, trends modernized that therefore, it was set on needing new clothes instead of hand-me-downs. Another thing I realized was that by the time I was growing up, majority of the ‘kids’ grew up and out of the house, that my parents were financially stable with three, two or even just me in the house to buy what I needed, when I needed it. Thats why they say, the youngest are always spoiled.

Long-story short, my parents have always done what they had to to support for their kids. I never had the biggest house, the luxurious car, most recent iPhone or even name brand clothes growing up but I never felt as though I was ever in desperate need or behind.

Although we may not know each other and everything may just end with a smile and a nod, it is nice trying to feel someone’s emotions through words and have them feel mine. Being able to feel creative expression helps us grow closer due to expressing what I am passionate about, as well as identifying what you are passionate about and how our life experiences have shaped us into two entirely different people.