Reply to What is it like to be a family at an elite NWDC Private who can just barely afford it?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Back to the point about how the kids feel. We are solidly middle class and DC goes to Sidwell and is now a Sr.  DC and I have talked about not having the money of others many times, and it is really not has never been a problem. DC has been included in lavish parties in Georgetown and to simple backyard picnics with smores.  DC's friends are in all different economic brackets. My US the kids form groups of friends based on shared interests and personalities.  I really don't see money as a big factor day to day, and the parents I have gotten to know don't seem to care either. I know people on this forum sneer at the idea at Quaker values at Sidwell but they really do exist, at least in the US.  If a kid bragged about fancy vacations or owning an expensive cars, they wouldn't  many friends.  Of course the rich kids have these things but in my experience they downplay it.[/quote]

TBH I think that's they way you see things as the adult.

[b]But I don't even need to bet that your kid sees things differently and feels differently about it.[/b] If you have a nice kid, they aren't likely to tell you though because they don't want you as the parent to feel bad.  I posted upthread, my kid is younger, but yes, money and wealth is a factor of everyday conversations and it's not in a showy way usually but it's just in the everyday way.  For example, right now my DD's friends kids are all talking about the upcoming summer camps they will attend this summer.  None have said my child is too poor to attend, they just don't even know that that could be an issue because in their world "we can't afford it" is never an issue.  My child knows why she can't go , keeps quiet and feels bad about it.  She knows the reason is we can't afford it. It's this kind of thing over and over that can really bother some kids.  [/quote]

This thread is so funny! All these parents have forgotten what school is really like: cliques, shoes, vacations, the biggest house, the rating systems, cool kids, dorks. its kumbaya time![/quote]

I think it's interesting that those of us in this thread who actually were the poor or middle class kid (which would be poor in NWDC) in a private school would not chose to do that to our kids. 
I was one of those kids.  I had Ivy-league educated parents who provided us with a strong sense of self-worth and lots of creative vacations and opportunities for fun.  But it still sucked to be 
one of the have-nots.  It.was.hard.  
But whatever!  On with your kumbaya selves. [/quote]

I disagree. I was one of those kids and I had enough self worth built in to me that I didn't really care what the wealthy kids were doing. Maybe its a cultural thing...Black people are used to not feeling equal. I would have never imagined how that lesson would serve me so well in life. However, reading these threads makes me realize struggle does in fact build resilience. [/quote]

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