Awhile back, my friend Kat Coble wrote a post with a title that has been rolling around in my head for months: The Assumption Of Relative Wealth. It’s a good post that focuses on how many people on the internet just assume that people have a certain amount of money and if you don’t- you’re doing something wrong.

I see a lot of this sort of assumption on mommy blogs and parenting forums all over the internet. I read a lot of frugality blogs where people get all hyper about what everyone else is eating. I once saw- somewhere- someone say if you can’t afford to feed your kids organic food, you are abusing your children.

Ummm…yeah. Count me guilty of child abuse in that case, then. I do what I can, but especially with the price of food lately, all or even mostly organic food is but a dream.

Of course, the person who said that either wasn’t thinking of the millions of children all over the world who have to dumpster dive- and not in good American dumpsters, either- for their food, or that person is just a clueless jerk. Is dying and leaving your child an orphan in a third world country child abuse? I just don’t know.

Here’s what I do know. I’m getting really sick and tired of stay at home moms who assume everyone should have a certain amount of time and money to serve their children made-from-scratch all-organic food extravaganzas. We don’t all have that luxury, and most of us are doing the best we can. Consider the single mom who comes home from an 8 or 10 hour shift on her feet at a low paid job and just wants to microwave some chicken nuggets for the kids. Child abuse? Bad parenting?

I think when you don’t have to struggle for your existence, it’s easy to become very holier than thou. And that attitude filters down to your children. It’s easy to become cynical in this world. What are you teaching your kids? Compassion and kindness? Or are you teaching them the assumption of relative wealth?

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