Ones who grow up without being able to have all their likes and needs fulfilled as children, either make resolutions to give their children the "better life" they never had or realise it's far better to teach them contentment and humbleness than spoil them. I don't particularly remember missing out anything important while growing up! Sure, there were countless times, my requests to have "that colourful book", or "that bicycle" or "the one my friends have" were turned down as they were off the family budget - but my mother always remembered to tell me why I couldn't have it and why I had to be okay with that. Many years later, that type of conditioning has me thinking several times on wants vs. needs before I make a purchase on something I set my eyes on. Sometimes it makes me sad to see a lot of parents "buying" their children convenient affection at toy stores or children being given every little meaningless thing they demand for, making them spoilt and oblivious on many levels. This is money that may be well spent on something more meaningful for the children.
I come from a middle income family, we were not heirs to fat inheritances from ancestors. At the time of my parents getting married (mom at 21 years and dad at 26 years), they barely had any savings. The only good thing going for them at the time was a decent job my dad held at the time. That meant my parents worked very hard to put us through a good education, which they recognised from the beginning as an important factor. My father spent many years fulfilling the role as the main breadwinner of the family. For nearly a decade he lost many opportunities to watch us grow, pass the most interesting milestones of our early lives and get to know us - as he was overseas, working in untold hardships, saving up for the family. My mom on the other hand did not have the opportunity to complete her standard secondary education. What she lacked in certificates, she excelled in her management and people skills. Her enthusiasm and ambition also made her competent in many other areas. I observed that my mom and dad, though not the most compatible/ romantic couple on Earth, made a good team. He provided the funds and she managed it carefully, while instilling in us the thought processes that money could not buy.
There's alot to learn from them, as we try to fill in the shoes they leave behind.
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