[theotherguy]

As we have gotten older, my brother and I have figure out that we were poorer than we thought. My dad was a firefighter and retired making $26,000/yr from the city. However, as most firefighters do, he had a side business. Some years were wonderful. Some, not so much. He had one side that went bankrupt, but always seemed to rebound. I remember times when my mom would be upset from collection calls, but we never lost a house or car. My mom was a stay-at-home mom. It was a choice my parents decided they would stick to no matter what. My parents did have a friend who owned a temp agency and mom would work for him from time to time. She was actually very sought after by everyone she ever worked for due to her office skills. Very bright woman.

There were times that there was barely any food in the house, but we would only realize that later in life. My parents once created a dish they called b.o.a.r (beef, onions, and rice) because that was all that was in the cabinets. Our house was always fun and my brother and I never really thought about money. There were many things we did not get because may parents could not afford it, but we always had what we needed.

I have to give my parents a ton of credit. They might have been strapped at times, but it never stopped them from being wonderful parents and keeping our family happy.