To those struggling families

A couple weeks back while I was playing on the sideline of a soccer field with the LittleGirl during the LittleBoy's summer soccer camp, I overheard a conversation between a mom and a grandma of two kids. To be honest, I am kind of a nosy person at times and have a habit and tendency to eavesdrop on conversations. This goes back to my undergraduate training in anthropology and how often times the art of observation and eavesdropping produces the best social and cultural research that direct interview and questions couldn't produce. Yes, it is a bad habit but it is a useful one at times.

Anyhow, the conversation that I overheard jumped all over the place but there was one thing that did stand out to me and tugged at my heart string and I couldn't let it go.

The conversation was centered around some dialogues that the mom had with her daughter. It was about their inability to have a pet in the apartment in which they were living. However, the crux of the conversation was not so much about the ability to have a pet or not but rather on their housing situation. The daughter, apparently has been constantly asking the mom about when they would be able to move and have a different home that would allow for a pet. This all seems pretty normal for a kid around four or five years old.

However, the breaking of the heart comes from the response that the mom had to give to the daughter. It was the fact that they can't find anything else they can afford. It wasn't because the mom didn't want to give her daughter a pet but rather it was a matter of their living and life condition. This is sad. The inability for a parent to make their kids happy and continually create a sense of let-down in life.

It's not because the mom wanted to say no or she wanted to deny the daughter. It's just life. Life is not fair. And society is not fair.

This got me thinking about the injustice of the world especially to families that are struggling. Often times society paints a picture of those struggling as having not worked as hard or that they deserve it. But the fact of the matter is, more often than not, these families do not deserve it. They are hard-working families, often times with multiple jobs and working long hours to provide food on the table and a roof over their heads. These families are struggling not because they want to but just because they are and society has been set up in a way that doesn't favor them.

When you think about it, society is a fabric of families and people. When an individual is hurting and struggling, it will affect the family. And when families are struggling, they will affect society as a whole. Often times, we just ignore the parts that seem unsightly and focus on the positive. But the reality is that a lot of families are suffering. Maybe not economically. But maybe relationally or emotionally or even just being able to have time together. When families suffer, so does society. Families build society.

What can we do?

1. We can learn to have compassion for those less fortunate than us. We can give a little of what we have to give a boost in someone else's life and family.


2. We can learn to connect with our neighbors and hear their stories, especially those that are a bit different from us or don't fit the mold of who we are friends with.


3. We can join and volunteer with groups and non-profits that specialize in helping build up families and societies. (shameless plug: I have been volunteering with United Way, they are a great example of an organization that try to help enrich and give value back to society.)


4. We can help champion and support social justice issues within the circles that we have influence (eg. friends, work, clubs, etc.)

And most importantly, when we do these things, our children will see it and they will learn the value of other individuals, they will learn to love their neighbors. Remember, helping to build up families will build up society. Be the change and start with what is around you.