Living Above Your Station

When you have a certain income level, there's a general consensus of the level of living you fit into. However, with the right budgeting and making sacrifices in other places, you can afford for your children (and perhaps yourself) to do things that would normally be consider out of your price range. This does, however, come with its own issues.

Because they are attending classes with others who are in a higher wage bracket, there are going to be times where they feel they don't fit in. They will be one of the few kids who can't afford to attend all training sessions or they won't have latest technology that everyone else seems to have. They might not be wearing the latest brand names and the chances are they most certainly don't come from the right side of town. With that judgement of not being from the right side of town comes that subtle undertone, not so much from the children as the adults, that you aren't entirely welcome there. It's rarely overt, because discrimination is not seen as acceptable, but children sense it and it can become an uncomfortable environment to be in.

When we lived in England, this wasn't so much of an issue as there seemed to be less judgement. This could have been down to the regional differences being larger and further apart, so that there was a mixture of income ranges, but the much bigger income brackets would be out of your region. Here in Adelaide, because the population is relatively small, you don't need to travel far to encounter people in a much different earnings bracket, so the suburbs are almost ranked by standard of living and income. It was a bit of a surprise to discover that people really will make judgements of you and your character based purely on where you live.

Normally you wouldn't encounter this a lot if you're sticking to recreational activities within your budget and area, but if you aim too high, for a higher quality training, then you're likely to be seen as stepping out of your zone.

This continues into adulthood if you go to university or when applying for work. They aren't suppressed to discriminate, but leaving your address off your CV (resume) is usually prudent if you're considered to be living in a bad area.

I'd still recommended pushing your boundaries and improving your lot as best you can, but living above your station can be an uncomfortable experience and you may need to develop a thick skin.