[quote=meadandale]Costco and Ikea are always packed, even midday in the middle of the week. The malls are always full.
I look around San Diego and think “what recession”. Clearly people are hurting somewhere but I haven’t met any of them.[/quote]
As a classroom teacher (east county), I have met many of these folks who are hurting. Several times I asked parents (who appeared to me to be available) to help in the room and they broke down crying over money/housing issues. Families are constantly moving, often into a relative’s home, or out of town, then back, then out again. They’re on edge. They’re juggling child care, night shifts, and fear of losing both of those (a misbehaving child will be kicked out of childcare. If the parent has to leave work, they can lose their job, especially if it’s a frequent occurance).
Heck, even my apartment building is a good example of relatives living with family members, kids sleeping on the floor, watching tv all summer. I guess I’m just saying I see this also.
A few years ago, one of my 2nd graders was excited because he got a mattress for his birthday. He’d been sleeping on the floor (which helped explain the bite marks on his arms and legs). We got his family some help. 11 people lived in that apartment. I imagine they would pick up and leave when they couldn’t pay the rent. Or they were evicted.
I remember his mom getting angry at us for worrying about this kid’s homework when she was worried about keeping her job and about eviction. And she was right.
These families are very loving–but they are operating out of survival mode.
