ENG122 final paper

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Growing up less fortunate 1 Growing up less fortunate. Elijah Droz ENG122: English Composition II Stephanie Miclot November 20, 2019

Less fortunate 2 Growing up in poverty is something that many people in the world may experience at some time. I grew up in a low income household with my five brothers and sisters. Both my parents are immigrants from Poland. I was raised in Poland until I was around 5 years old, then we moved to America. Not only did I grow up poor in America, I also did not speak English when I first arrived here. If a child grows up poor, then several aspects of their life could potentially be effected. I grew up in a non-English speaking poor family and it shaped the person I am today. Growing up poor can hinder your ability to make friends and feel normal. It is already difficult enough fitting in when you are a kid, financial hardship makes it even harder. Adolescence is one of the most awkward stages of our lives. As a kid you are constantly learning new information on how the world works while also making friendships and connections with your peers. Being poor impacts your ability to focus on not only school, but also just being a kid. “Poorer children and teens are also at greater risk for several negative outcomes such as poor academic achievement” (Effects of poverty, 2019). This article further enforces that there can be severe consequences as a direct result of childhood poverty. I remember all the negative things I experienced growing up poor around my peers. For example having to wear tattered clothes passed down to me from my older siblings. Around the age of 7 or 8 is when I first started to become self-aware and started focusing on all my insecurities. The worst part about being a child in poor household is that there is almost nothing you can do to change your financial status. Feeling as if I was stuck in a constant loop of being poor was the feeling I felt for most of my childhood. Feelings of resentment can damage your relationship with your parents and siblings

Less fortunate 3 Being poor at a young age can negatively impact your health. Not being able to afford healthy foods can take a toll on a young body. Detrimental events to your overall physical health can be permanent as supported by this quote “Increasingly it is recognized that that what happens in childhood has a significant impact on health in adulthood” (Angela Donkin, 2019 pg. 462). Not being able to sleep due to hunger is something that instantly stands out to me. There were several nights where there was nothing to eat in our house, so you just had to deal with it and go to sleep hungry. As a kid you need nutrition to develop your brain and body. Without the proper funds you will not be able to get the nutrients your body needs to function at full capacity. Being made to feel different at a young age can change your ability to build relationships with others. My academics as a kid suffered due to the little amount of English I spoke and my family’s money status. School is difficult enough for a normal child, let alone a poverty stricken foreign one. There were times when I did not want to go to school because I was so poor. Group projects were a nightmare for me due to the language barrier. The constant embarrassment starts to eat away at your self-esteem. Everyone treats you differently because most of them aren’t mature enough yet to show empathy. Experiencing so much negativity led me to be softer spoken. I am still shy to this day, so that shows that there are long term affects to poverty. “Roughly 21% of American children live below the federal poverty level, defined by the government as earning $24,300 annually for a family of four (Jiang, Granja, & Koball, 2017)”. When first researching this issue, it surprised me to see that such large number of children are experiencing the same things I did. Social media might even make being poor even worse for kids in the present time. There were not as many programs to help the less fortunate that there are now, than when I was kid. There are some things that have been put in place to help those

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Less fortunate 4 that our not as fortunate. “ In the 5 decades since the Great Society/War of Poverty, knowledge about the benefits of early childhood programs as a prevention strategy has greatly expanded as have investments at all levels of society”( Arthur J, 2019,Pg 654). Programs such as Head Start and No Child Left Behind can be helpful to those in need. Childhood poverty is both psychologically and physically harmful. Poverty at a young age can negatively impact the way your brain develops. Anxiety and depression are both common symptoms someone who is poor may exhibit. “In recent years, more research has pointed to the idea that poverty is one of the things that can be linked to mental health problems” (Troung, 2018, Wellness). Stress is a major factor in mental illness and living through poverty is a stressful event in life. All of these emotions build up inside which is what leads some people in poor families to turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the trauma. Kids that are poverty stricken are more likely to end up in jail. The life expectancy of someone in poverty is shorter than people with stable incomes and they are more likely to develop a mental illness. “Children who experience poverty have an increased likelihood, extending into adulthood, for numerous chronic illnesses” (Murphey, 2014, Child Trends) Being poor makes it feel as if limits are set to how much can be achieved. Some people may feel as if they are going to be stuck being poor their entire lives. “Poverty is a financial circumstance that prevents an acceptable standard of living and thwarts individuals’ chances to exercise personal agency in order to pursue opportunities” (e.g., Sen, 1999).The chances of escaping poverty are low so it is normal to think you will be in that state forever. Being poor takes you out of your imaginative state and you are only focused on the now and not the future. It is difficult to focus on hopes in dreams

Less fortunate 5 of the future while you are dealing with daily struggles. Paying bills and making ends meet starts to take priority over having goals and aspirations. Goals seem harder to realistically achieve. Living poor may give a sense of hopelessness. The vicious cycle of poverty put stress on me from a young age. “The present study examines family income, several aspects of economic hardship, and household chaos, in relation to child cortisol” (Elanor D, 2019, Pg.629) . Child poverty can cause low self-esteem and lead to bullying from other kids. Self- esteem is a delicate part of our minds. The self-esteem issues caused by being poor I had as a kid carried into adulthood. Being poor made me reflect inward and pick at my own insecurities. To this day I am less confident in myself as a direct result of the negative event I experienced in my childhood. “ Over the last 40 years, researchers have found evidence of a relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage or poverty and child Maltreatment” (Ashley L, 2017, Pg66). The link between long lasting negative effects and childhood poverty is apparent. In conclusion, growing up in a low income household was permanently detrimental to my long term mental and physical health. If a child grows up poor, then several aspects of their life will most likely be effected. I am a prime example of why the issue of childhood poverty needs to be addressed at a higher level. There are millions of kids going through the same things that I have explained and it is crucial that we find a way to solve this issue for good.

Less fortunate 6 Refrences 1. Donkin, A., & Marmot, M. (2019). Poverty and reductions in fitness levels in children and adolescents in upper middle-income countries. British Journal Of Sports Medicine, 53(8), 462–463. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-098992 Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of online article with sentence case capitalization. Title of Web Periodical with Title Case Capitalization, V#(I#). Retrieved from https://www.thestableURL.edu 2. https://www.childtrends.org/child-trends-5/5-ways-poverty-harms-children (Murphey, 2014, Child Trends)

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Less fortunate 7 3. Hostinar, C. E., & Miller, G. E. (2019). Protective factors for youth confronting economic hardship: Current challenges and future avenues in resilience research. American Psychologist, 74(6), 641–652. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000520 4. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/being-poor-mental-health-link (KIMBERLY TRUONG, 2018, Wellness) 5. Brown, E. D., Anderson, K. E., Garnett, M. L., & Hill, E. M. (2019). Economic instability and household chaos relate to cortisol for children in poverty. Journal of Family Psychology, 33(6), 629–639. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000545 6. Landers, A. L., Carrese, D. H., & Spath, R. (2019). A Decade in Review of Trends in Social Work Literature: The Link between Poverty and Child Maltreatment in the United States. Child Welfare, 97(4), 65–96. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=ccm&AN=139713088&site=eds-live&scope=site 7. Reynolds, A. J., Ou, S.-R., Mondi, C. F., & Giovanelli, A. (2019). Reducing poverty and inequality through preschool-to-third-grade prevention services. American Psychologist, 74(6), 653–672. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000537.supp (Supplemental) 8. Thompson, M. N., & Dahling, J. J. (2019). Employment and poverty: Why work matters in understanding poverty. American Psychologist, 74(6), 673–684. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000468

ENG122 final paper

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