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 By Kristy Schiller Apr. 28, 2006 I sat in the car and it was then that the tears began flowing down. In my hand held my WIC (Women, Infant, Children) card and a brochure outlining the food that I could use to purchase with it. Milk, cheese, eggs, juices rich in Vitamin C, cereals rich in iron, and dry peas/beans or peanut butter. At least it was something. By the time I was 18 years old, I was working at a great job as an assistant accountant earning over $30,000 a year. At age 21, I married my high school sweetheart and two years later found out that I was pregnant. Although not planned, I was thrilled. He was not, but he got used to the idea and fell in love with our little girl the moment he set eyes on her. The idea of placing our daughter into daycare churned our stomachs and so with much thought, I quit my job and took a part time office job. He worked midnights and when he came home, I would then go off to work. It was the perfect arrangement for child care and we both were able to spend time with our blue eyed beauty. We were used to my larger income and with an added expense of a baby we unwisely did not change spending habits. Instead they increased and we become overwhelmed in debt. Transferring debt to one credit card time and time again was the game we began to play. Many nights I would lay awake in bed worrying, but my husband always assured me that we would be fine. It would all turn out fine. Two years after Micaela’s birth, I gave birth to a Connor, beautiful baby boy, however we were told after delivery that he was born with a cleft palate and learned later that he was also deaf. I was devastated and fell into a deep depression. Because of expenses, just two weeks after I had the C-Section, I returned back to my job. The same day that I had the baby, the store that I was working at had been sold, but I was promised that my position as Office Manager would not change. Not so. After a week of showing the new owner the software programs and payroll procedures, he told me that I was no longer needed, as his wife was going to do my job and he showed me to the door. I once again was knocking on employers’ doors attempting to find a part time job that would be a fit so that we wouldn’t need child care. This time, however, my husband was working days and so I needed a part time office type job at night. Near impossible. Until I was called in for an interview at a car dealership. The work was boring, the area was horrible, but the pay made up for it and I accepted with a heavy heart. Connor had several surgeries, between his cleft palate and his ears, and even though we had insurance, not everything was covered and the medical bills piled up and then my husband decided to leave. Up and leave me one week before Christmas with two babies. I lost my job not soon afterwards due to schedule changes. So completely down on my luck – I gulped my pride and got food stamps. I have always been a prideful individual. I began working at the tender age of 12 where I babysat. At 13 I was a live-in nanny during the summertime where I made over $150.00 a week (that is a lot of money for a 13 year old). At 14 I worked for a miniature golf course and at 15 I cleaned offices. Once I was 16 I became a secretary for a school and remained that until I graduated and became an Executive Assistant for county offices and from there I have switched fields a few times, but always coming back to Human Resources, not as a recruiter, but as a payroll, benefits and hiring specialist. Most days I love my job, but in all honestly I would much rather be sipping margaritas on the beach typing on my laptop and soaking up money from a best selling novel. A girl can dream, right? My pride has sometimes been a double edged sword of sorts. Being a single mother who does not receive child support, I work two, sometimes three jobs in order to pay the bills. I am frugal only to the degree that I will only buy what is on sale. I also will never borrow money from a friend or a loved one. A bank, yes, but never my parents, my bosses (who have offered before) or friends. I would rather go without cable television and eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for a week until I got my next paycheck. My kids are very tolerant of our situation and I think because of the hard times and the good times, it has helped build their character and will make them a much better person than without having to see both sides of the coin. There are times I feel guilty when I so ‘no’ to going to a birthday party because I cannot afford to buy a gift or when we pass by a McDonalds and they beg to have a Happy Meal, but I instead have to buy $1.00 hamburger for them each without fries. It sounds like little things, but I still will sometimes go to bed with tears in my eyes for not being able to provide them with all that others do. My sister has rarely worked throughout her life. She is 9 years older than I am. My brother, 11 years older, has always had a job, but never completely satisfied with his life or his career choices, however I give him credit….he works. However, after the death of my mom he up and quit his job and is now dreaming of purchasing a farm in a remote area of the US and becoming a tomato gardener, to the frustration of his wife. A few years ago my sister and my parents decided that they would live together, along with her child. And so my parents sold their home and bought a larger home in anticipation of my sister and her child living there. She was to pay for her own groceries and the utilities and my parents would pay the mortgage and taxes. All in all, it seemed like a fair deal. Until she decided to not work, to not pay any bills and to take advantage of our parents to the point that my dad ended up in the hospital and my mother was crying every night. They finally had to do what every parent hopes that they wouldn’t have to do, but at the age of 40, they kicked her and their grandchild out of the house. She then happily went out and bought a house and continued on with her own business. However, mortgage companies are not as lenient as parents are on not paying the bills and this was lost not long afterwards. So when my mom passed away, I believe she thought my dad was her golden ticket once more and she slowly began to move her items into the house. Just the other day I was over there and my dad handed her a $20.00 bill. Just because. If it were me, I would hand it back or tuck it into the front pocket of his flannel shirt. Not her, she asked if that was it. Even when I was 15 I didn’t get an allowance and yet my sister gets one at 45. How fair is that? Life isn’t fair. Am I jealous? Maybe, but the funny thing is that I know that I would never take his money. Yesterday he told me that she called complaining that she was broke and he told her to come stay with him and he would give her some money. Geez, I should quit my job and just soak off of my dad too. I would probably make more money that way. I don’t necessarily respect those that take advantage of others. Yes, there are hard times. I have had many. But I see ‘Hiring’ signs everywhere I go. What is the problem? Laziness? Too good to work fast food? Easier to take advantage of parents? Spitefulness with the world? Whatever the reason, as a person with pride and working in HR, it disgusts me. Get off the couch and get a job. Any job. ------------ About the author: Kristy Schiller works as a spiritual intuitive, psychic detective and a paranormal investigator along with her ‘real’ job in HR. Visit her at www.tangledwishes.com or www.mystiques-west.com. Email: Kristy@tangledwishes.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. 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