In my observation (which lasted about 15 minutes because the cashier couldn’t seem to figure out how to process the WIC checks), I noticed a few things. One customer was several months pregnant, accompanied by a child who looked to be about six or seven. She used her check to purchase six cans of Similac which made me deduce that there was an infant in the home as well. As not to seem extremely judgmental in my thought process, I asked myself what it would take for me to make a decision to better prepare myself financial before making the choice to bring another child into this world…a child who would also be dependent on the system as a result of my own shortcomings.
While the Similac purchasing customer was waiting for the cashier to troubleshoot, the second couple in line realized that they had forgotten a few items…cigarettes, lighters and of course the four pack of Monster Energy Drinks. I watched the husband open his wallet and ruffle through about five - twenty dollar bills, several tens and ones. Yes, I was standing that close! He pulled out twenty dollars to pay for his purchase while his wife pulled out her WIC check to pay for cereal and milk. Again, as not to be judgmental in my conversation with self, I posed this question; what vices or luxuries would I be willing to give up so that I can better provide for my family?
While some folks running for office seem to think it’s important to target a specific race in their banter about dependence on public assistance, I think that the real issue is changing the mindset of those who do have to depend on the system for long periods of time. What I mean is this. Frivolous spending, bad habits, gambling, cheating the system, etc. have to end. There needs to be a level of accountability for those who are funneled through the system and a willingness on their part to want to do better; a desire to be self-sufficient.
As a mother of four children and one who sees a pay check every two weeks with enough money taken out in taxes to pay a small mortgage I feel as though I have a right to be critical. At the beginning of last year I looked at my own spending and my own habits and re-evaluated mainly for the sake of my children. Nobody asked me to do this…I did it because I have the desire to want to provide for my family and be an example of how we often need to be self-reflexive. I wanted them to see me making appropriate financial choices and I wanted to show them the importance of differentiating between getting the things that are needed or spending on the things that amount to nothing more than wants or desires. So what did I sacrifice? I completely eliminated a $5.00 a day Starbucks habit. I stopped getting polish changes a couple of times a week at the cost of $10.00 a visit and I stopped ‘rewarding myself’ with treats from Tiffany & Co. My total savings in coffee and nail care alone…$2,340. No need to calculate the Tiffany bill, but let’s say it wasn’t as high as that of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich!
My final point is this. As parents, regardless of your wealth or status, you are obligated to change your lifestyle, bad habits and ugly vices for the good of your family. As a parent, it should be heart wrenching for you to raise children in a cycle of dependency. I’m not being a hard a*# because I do see folks at the register from time to time paying for basic necessities with food stamps or a WIC check with a face filled with pain and shame. For those individuals who are out their busting their behinds to make a better life for themselves and their children I say stay in the fight and keep your head up. But for those who want to continue to smoke and drink up their earnings and be content with the fact that they are paving the way to a mediocre life for their off spring, I say wake up and just TRY to make a change. No one is looking for people who need a helping hand to be able to move mountains but the hope is that you have the will to want to navigate around that mountain, no matter how arduous that journey may seem. Your investment in yourself is being watched so if not for you…do it for your kids.
