Intergenerational Poverty Final 1
Summary
TLDRJulie Cheever, a single stay-at-home mom, shares her struggles with poverty, raising seven children, and caring for her youngest son with disabilities. She emphasizes the different perspectives and challenges faced by those in poverty, including the 'cliff effect' and the importance of education. Despite hardships, she has a plan to return to school and become an interpreter, highlighting the resilience and problem-solving nature of those living in crisis.
Takeaways
- 🏡 Julie Cheever is a stay-at-home mom who has lived in her current home since the end of August, almost a year.
- 👨👧👦 She is the oldest of seven children and had to start taking on adult responsibilities at a young age due to her mother's hearing impairment and subsequent illness.
- 🕊️ After her mother's passing at age 16, Julie took on the role of a mother figure for her siblings, managing household chores and ensuring their well-being.
- 📚 She struggled with school due to the lack of time for homework and other activities, highlighting the challenges faced by those in poverty.
- 👶 Her youngest child, Drew, has disabilities requiring significant care and attention, including daily physical therapy and catheterization.
- 💔 Julie became a single mom in September, which added to her struggles of maintaining a clean home without help from a spouse.
- 🏘️ She discusses the issue of situational poverty, often caused by events like divorce, which can lead to a lack of resources and financial stability.
- 🔄 Generational poverty is hard to break, but change is possible if one person in a family can make a difference for future generations.
- 🎓 Education is seen as a key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and Julie emphasizes its importance to her children despite her own regrets.
- 💼 Julie was laid off from her job at Walmart and Sam's Club, and the reduced work hours offered were insufficient for her needs as a single mom.
- 🧩 Poverty is multifaceted, involving a lack of various resources, not just financial. The 'cliff effect' is a barrier where increased income can lead to a loss of public assistance.
- 👩🏫 She aspires to go back to school to become an interpreter, a part-time job that can provide a good income while allowing her to care for her son Drew.
- 🤔 There is a societal judgment towards those in poverty, with misconceptions about their character and abilities.
- 🛠️ Living in poverty requires constant problem-solving and a crisis mentality, which can be difficult for those in more stable economic situations to understand.
- 👩👧👦 The importance of support for single moms, especially those with children with disabilities, is emphasized, as it is challenging to meet all needs while working full time.
Q & A
How long has Julie Cheever been living in her current home?
-Julie Cheever has been living in her current home since the end of August, which is less than a year.
What role did Julie take on in her family at a young age?
-Julie became the voice and ears for her hearing-impaired mother at the age of three, making phone calls and conveying messages. When her mother got sick at age 12, she started making meals for her family, and after her mother passed away at age 16, she took on the role of a mother, ensuring her siblings were ready for school and their homework was done.
What challenges does Julie face as a stay-at-home mom with a child with disabilities?
-Julie faces the challenge of managing her time between her responsibilities as a stay-at-home mom and caring for her youngest child, Drew, who has disabilities. She has to perform daily physical therapy with him and catheterize his bladder every three hours.
How has Julie's life changed since becoming a single mom?
-Becoming a single mom in September has made Julie's life significantly harder. She struggles daily to keep her house clean without any help from a spouse and has to manage all responsibilities on her own.
What does Julie believe about the perspective of people in poverty?
-Julie believes that people in poverty have a different perspective and learning environment compared to those from middle or higher classes. She mentions that when people from higher classes try to help, they often don't understand the unique challenges faced by those in poverty.
What does Julie think about the impact of divorce on poverty levels?
-Julie observes a lot of situational poverty due to divorce. She explains that when a father goes to school and the mother doesn't because she was relying on him, and then they divorce, the mother can end up in poverty without a job or education.
What is Julie's view on the importance of education in breaking the cycle of poverty?
-Julie believes that education is crucial in breaking the cycle of poverty. She regrets not getting a college education herself but has instilled in her children the necessity of higher education.
How does Julie describe the experience of being in poverty?
-Julie describes poverty as not just a lack of money but also a lack of various resources. She talks about the 'cliff effect,' where individuals may not take a job that pays slightly more because it could result in losing significant public assistance, making it harder to get out of poverty.
What is Julie's plan for her future career?
-Julie plans to go back to school to become an interpreter. She believes that working as an interpreter would allow her to earn enough money while working part-time, which would enable her to support her family and take care of her son Drew.
How does Julie feel about the judgment people may pass on those in poverty?
-Julie feels that people often judge those in poverty, assuming they are lazy or have personal issues like drug or alcohol problems. She emphasizes that being on state assistance does not mean one is a bad person and that anyone can face hardships.
What does Julie think about the mentality of people living in poverty?
-Julie believes that people in poverty often have a crisis mentality, where they are constantly problem-solving and living in the immediate future, focusing on the next steps rather than long-term planning.
Outlines
🏡 Life as a Single Mom and Caregiver
Julie Cheever introduces herself as a stay-at-home mom to her children, who she has been raising since the end of August. She grew up in a family with seven children and had to take on adult responsibilities at a young age due to her mother's hearing impairment and subsequent illness. After her mother's passing, she took on the role of a parent, juggling school and household duties. She discusses the challenges of poverty, the different perspectives it brings, and the generational impact it can have. Julie also shares her current struggles as a single mom, dealing with the care of her youngest child, Drew, who has disabilities and requires constant attention and medical care. She touches on the issue of situational poverty, often caused by unforeseen circumstances like divorce, and the importance of education in breaking the cycle of poverty.
💼 The Reality of Poverty and Aspirations for the Future
This paragraph delves into the complexities of poverty, emphasizing that it's not just about a lack of money but also a scarcity of resources. Julie talks about the 'cliff effect,' where an increase in income can paradoxically lead to a loss of public assistance, making it difficult for individuals to escape poverty. She regrets not pursuing higher education but instills its importance in her children. The paragraph also addresses societal judgments about poverty and the misconceptions that people have about those who receive state assistance. Despite the challenges, Julie has a plan to return to school to become an interpreter, a career that offers flexibility and sufficient income to support her family. She also advocates for more support for single moms and emphasizes the importance of being present for her kids amidst the constant problem-solving that characterizes life in poverty.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Stay-at-home mom
💡Hearing-impaired
💡Disabilities
💡Single mom
💡Poverty
💡Public assistance
💡Education
💡Crisis mentality
💡Interpreter
💡State assistance
💡Problem-solving
Highlights
Julie Cheever has been living in her home since the end of August, approaching a year.
Julie is a stay-at-home mom to her children, having taken on this role after her mother's passing when she was 16.
Raised as the oldest of seven children, Julie had to start helping her hearing-impaired mother at a young age.
Julie's family faces challenges due to her youngest child's disabilities, requiring constant care and physical therapy.
Becoming a single mom in September has intensified Julie's struggles with housekeeping and support.
Julie discusses the complexity of situational poverty, often resulting from unforeseen life events like divorce.
Generational poverty is hard to break, but one person's change can impact future generations.
The importance of education is emphasized as a means to break the cycle of poverty.
Public assistance can create a 'cliff effect,' where increased income leads to loss of benefits.
Julie's experience with Walmart and Sam's Club ended with her position being eliminated, highlighting job insecurity.
The judgment society places on those in poverty is misguided and based on stereotypes.
Julie aspires to return to school to become an interpreter, seeking a balance between work and family life.
The transcript emphasizes the need for more support for single parents, especially those with disabled children.
Living in poverty requires constant problem-solving and a crisis mentality.
Middle-class individuals often fail to recognize the struggles of those in poverty and judge them unfairly.
Julie's story illustrates the resilience and determination of those living in poverty to provide for their families.
Transcripts
so this is where we live and we've lived
here since the end of August so not
quite a year oh come on you're so
beautiful
the kids will be home in the afternoon
from school
you gotta come you gotta change your
bomb again huh say hi okay my name is
Julie Cheever and I stay at home I'm say
at home mom I grew up I'm the oldest of
seven children
my mom was hearing-impaired I started
being her voice and ears at age three so
I had to make phone calls for her and
tell her what they said she got sick
when I was 12 and so then I began making
meals three nights a week for my family
my mom passed away when I was 16 and I
became the mom getting kids up for
school getting them ready making sure
their homework was done making sure the
house was clean so I struggled a lot in
school and um didn't have time for
homework and other things want to eat
some lunch I want to eat so
I gotta go get your hey chair sometimes
when people in poverty they we don't
even understand I mean they dealt with
they deal with things that we probably
never would have to deal with I think
it's a different perspective it's a
different learning environment that
they've lived in and so when
middle-class people or higher class
people are trying to pull them up they
don't understand that because that's not
what they've learned I am very busy with
my youngest drew he has some
disabilities we have physical therapy
that we need to do daily had dirty face
push it push I cath him so I have to put
a catheter in his bladder every three
hours to drain it he requires a lot a
lot of my time well I became a single
mom essentially in September and it's
been really hard I struggle every day
trying to keep my house clean because I
have no one to help me I don't have a
spouse anymore here helping me we see a
lot of situational poverty because of
divorce and things here at habitat where
you know all of a sudden the mom the dad
went to school mom didn't get her
education because you know dad was going
to take care of her and then all a
sudden they get divorced and she's a
single mom now she's in poverty she
doesn't have a job she doesn't have the
education the generational poverty is
hard it really is and you really have to
if one person in a generational poverty
family can change you can change
generations from now but it's just
changing that child it's usually a child
that changes learn that family is
important my kids are the most important
in my wife and I just want them to have
the best of everything like anyone else
does um I've been blessed with very good
kids and my oldest to help a lot I don't
know we need to decorate until Joanne we
Joe said that you can't reach
I was working for Walmart and Sam's Club
and I worked for them for eight and a
half years and then they eliminated my
position
they offered me a twenty hour a week job
and I said I cannot do that I'm a single
mom when you have older children that
work they penalize you for that and take
your money away when your kids are just
trying to survive themselves and and pay
for their things and you know you don't
get to use their money for your bills
and so it makes it really difficult
poverty isn't just a lack of money it's
a lack of variety of resources so we see
a variety of reasons why someone's in
poverty we see what was called what we
call the cliff effect we have
individuals in our circles initiative
who want to work who want to get out of
poverty but because of the amount of
public assistance they're going to lose
if they take a job that pays another
couple of dollars an hour more than what
they have now it just instead of sliding
down as they increase our income the
public assistance slice and it drops off
so a couple of dollars an hour raise may
result in hundreds of dollars a month in
lost public assistance in food benefits
or childcare assistance or housing
assistance things like that going to
school and getting a college education
that's probably one of the things I
regret I'm not getting I guess um but
I've taught my children that it is a
necessity and you need to have a higher
education let's go
I like to play out in the yard when it's
nice
Drew's got a truck a little a big Chevy
power will truck that has a button on
the wheel suppose we ride in it I think
that people judge you for being you know
not having a lot of money and they think
maybe that you have done drugs or had an
alcohol problem or you know that you're
a terrible person because you're hot
state assistance but it happened to the
best of us people have a variety of
thoughts on why folks are in poverty
everything from being lazy to not
understanding intellectually what's
going on not having job skills when in
fact that's not the case just because
you're on state assistance doesn't mean
you low life and a piece of garbage and
you're not a good person because
anything could happen to anyone at any
time and throw you in you know to be
having to get assistance from the state
to be poor one you have to be a problem
solver your that's what your whole life
is is solving problems to you are always
in crisis so you think a crisis
mentality think back of a time when you
had a crisis in your life when that
whatever that is takes priority your
mind it's the only thing you can think
of and you're just looking at that
future maybe 10 minutes or tomorrow or
next week rather than it way into the
future I think those of us in
middle-class don't always recognize that
and so we pass judgment upon those who
are not in our economic class so I do
have a plan I I do eventually want to go
back to school and and become an
interpreter because interpreting you
can't work 40 hours a week but you make
good enough money that you can it's part
time so I just want to be able to
support my family and a job that I would
enjoy doing and you know
I can do and still have drew you mean
yeah he's a cheesy boy he's a cheesy boy
yeah there's there's got to be a way to
get more help especially when you have a
child with disability even if you don't
I think the single moms need more help
it's it's really hard to try and and be
there for your kids and work full time
and take care of everyone's needs and
take care of your own needs um so I
don't know I don't know what can be done
but it's important for for kids to know
that their moms are there or their dads
there's some single dads out there but
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