From a socio-economic standpoint, I’ve always had it easy. There is no denying that. For starters, I’m white. I grew up on the South Shore of Long Island, surrounded by wealthy people, including my own family.
My father made it clear that we were an upper-middle class family, and he made sure we remembered it. Growing up, I had a Bat Mitzvah anda sweet sixteen. My little sister went to Disney for her third birthday, and we took a cruise for her seventh birthday. My college education is completely paid for by family (I did not, and will not, need to take out a single loan, and I don’t have any scholarships).
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Both of my sisters have the same opportunity to get an education and wind up debt-free. If I do so much as stare at an article of clothing that I think is cute, my mother buys it for me. She feels that I should never have to pay for clothes, school, toiletries, food, housing, or transportation. I don’t work. Why? Because my parents would rather me focus on the college education that they’re paying for, than let me take the load off of them and pay for the things that they feel I shouldn’t have to cover.
It’s safe to say that throughout my entire life, I’ve had almost everything handed to me. But, if you asked me if I felt I was entitled, I would tell you that I am absolutely not. Many people associate privileges such as mine with entitlement. However, entitlement is not a state of being—it’s a state of mind. Entitlement is the feeling that you have a right to something. If I were entitled, I would expect to have things handed to me my entire life. One might think that this is something I’d want and expect.
Believe it or not, I'm scared for my future because I'm not expecting the same privileges that I've had throughout my life. I realize that there will come a time when I need to pay my own bills and live off my own salary, and that salary on my own will be much lower than both my parents’ salaries combined. I do not expect to live off of my parents forever; and, honestly, they haven’t prepared me for a life without their financial support. Whenever my father sees that I’m struggling to keep up with my credit card, he deposits money into my debit account so that I can pay it off. Every time this happens, I feel ashamed of the fact that I can’t support myself like my friends do. I want that sense of independence. I could declare financial independence from my parents, but I don’t think I’d survive because I’m so used to my upper-middle-class lifestyle, and I hate it.
If I was truly entitled, I would never even think about a life without my parents’ financial support. There are plenty of other people who are in college and living off of their parents’ money, for the most part. Yet, these people are still going to school to receive a college education with the hopes of working in their chosen field. Why would an entitled person go to school and plan for a career if they planned to live off of their parents for their entire lives?
A person who is truly entitled wouldn’t care about their career after college, because they know that mommy and daddy will support them through it all. Even if mommy and daddy do support us, sometimes, it’s still important to remember that most of us have our own support and accomplishments that our parents have nothing to do with.
Whether or not I continue to live a wealthy lifestyle is still to be determined, but because I am not entitled, I will work my hardest to create a life for myself that does not depend on other people. I understand that it is not a right, but rather a privilege.
