America is a country where poverty is rampant; you may see it in your household, on the streets, or in someone you know. This impacts civilization, families, and individuals. Poverty is having less than or no resources, such as adequate housing. Poverty can come from parents who aren’t finally stabilized or maybe their parents weren’t either. This may result in parents being unaware of the lack of a quality education or a suitable high school for their children to attend. This may also affect the individual's residence or the location of the household. Although one was raised poor, the individual can change their life around for the betterment of their family.
To begin with, individuals who have been raised in this location are most likely poor due to their living conditions. Data USA states, “The southeast side of Houston has a rate of 11.4% rate of poverty being seen”. There were many people on this side of Houston because it was a place that was affordable.
My dad was raised in the southeast side of Houston and it wasn’t a safe place. My dad's parents were never present in his life. My dad's mom was addicted to drugs such as pills and hardcore narcotics which led to my dad not being able to ask his mom for money for things he needed or wanted. At the age of 8, my dad's mom would make him sell crack to people in their neighborhood to get money for drugs.
My grandpa (my dad's dad) was in his life and supported him to the fullest. Once my dad's mom and dad separated it went downhill from there. My dad's mom had remarried a man who was also addicted to drugs which led to my dad not having such a big support system anymore.
My dad's mom worked, but it was mostly just a side hustle. She would sell burritos at Hobby Airport to the workers who would work but that wasn’t really enough money to support my dad.
My grandpa also remarried my grandma Wanda. My grandma Wanda raised my dad like he was her son. She never treated him differently because he was a kid from another woman.
My great-grandma was the person who mainly raised my dad. She would feed him and give him the things he needed. He saw her like a mother because she was there for him and gave him unconditional love. My dad was a full-time athlete and also worked. My dad mostly had to provide for himself because he didn’t have a mother who would even provide for herself. When my mom and dad met, my dad had impregnated my mom at a pretty young age. Since my dad was working at the time but wasn’t making enough money, he had moved out of his mom's house and lived with my mom's parents.
Poverty also impacts families by putting them in bad situations. For example, my dad's neighborhood always had shootings and robberies so this led to people stealing things for money. When my dad was working, this guy who knew him went to his job and had him at gunpoint because my dad had an expensive gold chain that the man wanted. My dad had told him to go to the back because he didn’t want anyone in the store getting scared. My dad had to trick him so he could put the gun down. After he did, my dad beat him up and told him to never come back to his job because he knew where his family lived.
This impacts individualism and civilization. The way someone lives impacts how dangerous a person's living can be. This can cause many things such as addiction, robberies, and shootings. Poverty will always be here to this day due to not having the right resources and the lack of money someone can get.
Even though my dad had gone through all of this he had changed his life for the better. My dad has always been at my volleyball games because he never had that when he played football. My dad always made sure that I ate because he never had that. My dad is a super dad. He will always be my super dad for me and my family. My dad has always given me the things he could never have and it hurts me to say that. My dad will always be the best even though he didn’t have the things I have today.
I was inspired to write this essay because it pushes me to be a great parent like my parents. I didn’t live my dad’s life but I know that it's something I don’t want my kids to go through. I wanted to tell my dad's story because “he plays a very important role in my life”. Both of my parents are very important to me. After all, their past has really affected me, and now that I’m older, I can understand the pain they have gone through.