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We had a playdate with my daughter's preschool friend. It took me back to when I was a kid and I thought people with HBO were rich. It was a very lovely home and the little girl even had her own bathroom. I wasn't trying to be rude but because we only have 2 TVs, I noticed they had a TV in almost every room, 2 of those huge fancy flat screens : ) I try to be a minimalist so I was amazed. To each their own but I don't know how people afford it. The mom stays at home.
Our home was built in 1975 and is still in the process of being remodeled. I feel very fortunate and appreciative for what we have. However, I now feel like a hillbilly : )
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I can relate, that why I just stay at home. IF I dont have anything to compair it to then I dont see my homes flaws.
On the other side. You should never feel like a hillbilly. Everybody has their own life style. My family and dh's family couldnt be any different. My mother side is from East Hampton and my Father from California. But my dh's family on both sides are farmers from michigan. I am equaly comfortable and at home when we visit either side.
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Oh, I sooooo know what you mean! I had a playdate at the Joneses a couple of years ago when my eldest dd was in preschool. It was a beautiful home, spotless, very modern , BMW in the garage, hot tub, blah blah blah....anyway, on our first visit there, the Mom told me they were planning on buying a new home as they were outgrowing this one (the place was HUGE), and she said..."Yeah, I just don't know how people manage living in tiny little 1300 square ft. homes" (use your best snotty rich girl voice there) She had not been to my tiny little 1200 square foot home yet, so I just smiled. I don't think that she, her husband, nor her children were happy people, and even though their castle may sparkle, their hearts are certainly dusty.
I am happy in my little home too. I may complain from time to time because we too are in remodel mode, but alas, this is my life!
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We recently had a play date at the Joneses, too. It made me feel (for a second, two seconds tops--I swear! ) like what I had was not good enough. I try not to have thoughts like that, but sometimes it's hard!
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You shouldn't feel like a hillbilly! Everybody is different. You don't really know anything about the family whose home you visited...they might be up to their eyeballs in debt but then again, maybe they're not. Assumptions about people or groups of people bother me. I really try not to do that myself. But that's me.
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I know what you mean. I was raised in a home like that, in fact, before i married dh my mom reminded me that my lifestyle would never be the same. It hasn't been, and I have adjusted to doing my own laundry, cleaning.......all that stuff, and I will tell you what....I apreciate things so much more. Before riding in a limo was no biggie, now it is a huge deal and i get so excited. I take pride in doing things for myself.
I bet that you are a lot happier than she ever will be and you apreciate things a lot more too!!
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It seems if we don't have all the fancy-pants posessions, people look down on us. And if we do have them, people become envious. (I'm not talking about you, you obviously aren't envious, I'm just saying people in general).
I've had it both ways and realized I don't care what others think, as long as my family has what we need, and appreciates what we have.
A warm, loving family environment is the only thing that matters, and you can't buy that.
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If you're happy, that's all that matters. I'd MUCH rather be a member of a happy family living in a "tiny" 1200 sq. foot home than a snotty rich woman who equates her self worth with how much is in her bank account!
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Personally I think the quest to obtain all that "stuff" - the work to keep it and maintain it is sooooo much more stressful than not having it.
I like my simple life way too much to be envious of someone else's.
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My brother and sister have all that stuff and I know for a fact that they cannot afford most of it. My brother even told my dh that i he lost his job or even his wife they would be able to survive maybe 2 months. we survived 2 years. Just b/c they have it doesn't mean anything. I also have a friend who she is a phD and he is a Dr.(oral surgeon) they are the nicest people. They have all the stuff. I don't feel and less when I am at their house and the key is they don't treat me like any less at any time. Their possessions don't define them, their actions do.
allgirls