Reply to What are the classic components of an UMC or UC American childhood?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't think anyone has mentioned these things that are part of a UMC childhood in the US:

Parents who attended elite colleges and whose circle of friends are similarly well educated
Parents who have graduate degrees
In the DMV, parents whose connections get you into the White House grounds for special events when their party is in power
In the DMV Members of Congress or their senior staff, or high level appointees are on your family's guest lists for celebrations like baptisms and 50th birthdays
Family friends who can help arrange for unpaid internships
Family friends whose name on a letter of recommendation will get noticed
Vacations involving water craft do not have anything to do with water skiing, those party barge pontoon boats, or jet skis.  You either sail or paddle to move the boat if you're living the UMC lifestyle
Multiple languages spoken by people in your family, or at least one of your parents lived in another country for a semester
Membership in the local museum associations
At least a few works of art purchased directly from a somewhat successful artist - OR - a study of a masterpiece
Parents attend fundraisers and serve on boards

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This! I think the level of social capital and connections is a key difference between a MC and UMC childhood. Being able to tap your parents’ or family’s extensive network of influential friends, family and acquaintances for advice and assistance with higher education admissions, internships (paid and unpaid) and professional opportunities in childhood and early professional experiences.  This is especially true for those useful life experiences during the summers in high school that get noticed on college applications, those unpaid internships during the first or second year of college before on campus interviews start, the networking with highly placed employees when considering a career change or joining a board or social club. It’s much easier to identify career fields and opportunities when you can learn the ins and outs of the job from someone there and well positioned to go to bat for you and tell you about opportunities before they are publicly posted.  A good piece of advice. The secret to a lot of success if you want to be in the UMC is “picking your parents well”![/quote]

This is ridiculous. Very few UMC families are in elite circles with the rich and powerful. Many of us are simply dual income white collar worker bees.[/quote]

It can definitely be a mix. We are UMC and do fundraisers but we don’t do the full on donations because we don’t have that kind of money. We went to elite colleges. I SAH. We have connections to get internships but not necessarily into the WH. There’s 3 degrees in my mind of the UMC jump to UC. There’s 300k UMC (which is dual workers), $1 mil upper upper middle (where we fall),  and finally $4-5 million entering UC but still not with those connections. I know if we joined the right country clubs we could. It’s still so very hard to break in. Regardless of elite degrees. Also some parents prioritize colleges or private school or certain things, than others. [/quote]

But the elite want to hobknob with other movers and shakers. Why would they want to socialize with a SAHM? Maybe the husband if he’s important enough, but in that case he should be making those connections through work and organic networking, not needing to join a country club.[/quote]

My husband networks a little bit via work but gets hung up on things shouldn’t be this way. That things should be fair.  I’ve pushed him to do it more and it comes so easy-he’s important in his field. I also think of going back to work because all the women are doing something, a fashion line, or nonprofit work. But truly it’s so fake. We must for our kids though. It’s true the network makes things so much easier. [/quote]

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