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exFamily.org > chatboards > genX > archives > post #18697

don't feel pressured

Posted by Acheick on February 28, 2005 at 10:48:44

In Reply to: All this fuss posted by Mourning on February 26, 2005 at 09:07:14:

I think that it's probably a bit naive to think that FGA exmembers are sitting on money and just refusing to give for whatever reason. More likely the average poster here has not been out that long, or even if for 10 or 15 years like me, we had a bunch of kids and lived in basic poverty while we finally went back to school, get a career, and tried to recover from the emotional fall out all at the same time. We basically lived under poverty line until finally both my husband and I got jobs after both going back to college. At our age of being in our early 50s, we have no nest egg built up, no money in savings and are still shelling out money to our children just to try and get them ahead in life, knowing what odds they were up against. I am proud of my children, they are all doing well and are excelling, but it has not been without great sacrifice and for that, I am eternally sorry for.

I know some exmembers have done well for themselves, but that is probably not the norm. Most of the ones I know have struggled and overcome some insurmountable odds and are still often eking out an existence. Often they are single moms who left with their children. I don't think this whole thing should be motivated by fear and/or guilt or "do as me or else you are not measuring up" - that's just not the way to go about it and honestly, reminds me of the way TF does business. I think the Johns are very courageous people and I totally admire them and feel they are better people than me, so don't misinterpret what I am saying here either. I just hope that some awareness of other people's plight happens and expecations are different for different people.