The American Dream

I'll admit it, I have thought about the American dream and whether or not I will become more successful than my parents. I would like to. They each have their own companies and my mom also works for one (right up there near the top). Both of my parents come from parents with money. The difference is that my dad's family always had money but lost it in a divorce when he was a teen and my mom's family made their own money from nothing. Consequently, they have slightly different views of the American dream. My mom is from middle America while my dad is from rich Mexico. That puts me somewhere higher than middle America at my birth and middle upper class now, i guess thats what you would call it.

Anways, money has always been a relatively open subject in my family. We never talk numbers but we talk in terms of "good year" and "bad year" as well as in terms of my family's economic practices. They pay cash for everything. No debt is the policy. Not even anything close to debt. If you can't afford to pay for it today, you don't get it today. I think that idea is why I always knew "good year" from "bad year." It also meant Target or Nordstrom. I feel like I have been expected to follow their ideal about no debt at all, but they don't talk about numbers. I don't feel like I need to have more money or a bigger house, just be stable.

I think this whole not being in debt thing makes it no surprise that, according to my mother, the most important thing she has taught her daughters is independence. Along with independence goes education. The education leads to knowledge and a job that makes independence feasible. It has never been a fight, it has just always been assumed that we would go through private schools and do well academically as well as in social and work networks so that we could go to college and do even better
My family emphasizes the importance of who you know in your life. My mom barely finished her two year associates degree at a small school that doesnt even exist anymore. However, she knew the right people and made a life out of it. The emphasis on people is my mom's social anxiety. She knows that there is value in every person. She also knows that some people can and will contribute more to your life than others. So, she pushes making friendly with the right ones in the right ways.... otherwise, according to mom, you will end up at walmart, working or shopping...neither is a good enough life. i don't know if mom is right about the whole walmart thing, as a college kid, its not bad. however, i see her point that you do want to be constantly moving up and forward... living the American dream (it does exist and it is attainable)