I am a country girl and other insights...

Just a little insight into our family. I was raised in Florida, I have a baby brother and our mom was a single parent and a nurse. I helped raise my brother, and I have acted like a "mommy" since I was 7 years old. We lived on a dirt road, didn't wear shoes, and ate what we wanted. My mom didn't keep an organized or clean home, she was too busy working 12 hour shifts at the hospital. Our great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, and cousins lived close by and we visited often, usually unannounced. My family was loud, pushy, and opinionated. We had a strong faith in God, but attended church sporadically. Weekends consisted of shopping at the mall on Saturdays with Grandma, Mom, Aunts, and the kids. Sunday's we attended church (sometimes), but always had dinner at my Great-Grandparents house with whoever happened to stopped by. My Mimi (Great-Grandma) would cook collards, cornbread, mac-n-cheese, chicken-n-dumplins, peach cobbler, and sweet tea. No air conditioning, after dinner we would all collapse in the family room in front of the fans, kids had to sit on the floor. The adults had hand fans they would fan themselves with. We wouldn't watch tv, the adults would talk and the kids listened. No toys, maybe a few for the babies and toddlers. Anyone that visited was offered drinks, food, and dessert. My family didn't drink beer, but did get loud. What effect does my childhood have on my parenting? I don't care if my kids wear shoes or not, I feed whoever is in our yard during lunchtime, my kids hand out drinks and snacks to the neighborhood like they have an endless supply, we don't drink alcohol (okay, very rarely and never in front of the kids-I'm not a saint), our kids are loud and I don't mind. How am I different? My husband and I have a lot more money than either of our parents had, we live in suburbia, we have new cars vs old ones that always broke down, I keep the kids under a watchful eye, I like a clean and organized house, we have a bigger house than we need, our kids don't know what it's like to be poor, we don't live near family anymore. I am a country girl, I love country music (along with hip hop!) and summertime! We live in the north, our neighbors have full bars in their basements, the kids around here wear $100 shoes, moms drive expensive SUV's, dad's play golf, kids are all in soccer. I don't feel we fit in, but at the same time I feel we can be who we are without problems. I like suburban living, our house is great, I love Target, and I like cooking out on the grill while the kids jump on the trampoline. I am not in competition with my neighbors, I don't care where they shop or what they have. However, I do recognize how blessed we are and we try to instill a giving spirit into our children. I am a conservative Christian, but at the same time I am not a fanatic or afraid of the future. I have convictions in my heart that run deep. My faith is strong, and my compassion is genuine. I truly hurt for the hurting, but feel too small to make a difference. I give as needs are presented to me, this has proven effective. Opening your eyes to those closest to you, you will find needs that need to be met. They land on your doorstep.