Quotes
Princeton economist Alan Krueger states that "parents' income correlate to their adult children's incomes roughly as heights do."This quote is important to the reading because your parents' heights can determine how tall you will eventually become. Krueger also gives an example saying that parents who are 5'6" are not likely to have a child who grows to be over 6'1". This relates to the adult children's income because if your parents are poor, then there is a slim chance that the child can become rich. Lastly, Krueger states that "'it happens, but not often.'"
"The best metrics of child poverty aren't monetary, but rather how often a child is read to or hugged. Or, conversely, how often a child is beaten, how often the home descends into alcohol-fueled fistfights, whether there is lead poisoning, whether ear infections go untreated. That's a poverty that is far harder to escape."Kristof is saying that child poverty is not about how much or how little the parent's make, but rather about how the child is treated at home and how issues are solved. It does not matter how much money the family makes, as long as the child is well-taken care of. The environment in which the child lives has to be safe and inviting. There cannot be alcohol related fights or dangerous illnesses lurking around. Children who grow up in homes like the quote says are living in poverty. Children who grow up in homes completely different from what the quote says are not living in poverty.
Money does not necessarily mean poverty.
"'Rich kids make a lot of bad choices,' Professor Reardon notes. 'They just don't come with the same sort of consequences.'"It does not matter what type of economic background you come from because as kids, we all make mistakes, but the consequences are much different. Of course the more money you have, the lesser consequence you have, especially if the parents are well-known. Families that are not well-off financially tend to have different consequences because they do not have the same benefits. It is completely true that rich children are better off. An example of this in Rhode Island is when Gov. Lincoln Chafee's son, Caleb Chafee, hosted a graduation party that served alcohol and sent one woman to the hospital. Because Caleb is Chafee's son, he only had to do community service and pay a fine. Basically a slap on the wrist for what he did.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
You do not need to be categorized by what your family makes or by how you are treated at home. As long as people try, they can be anything they want to be. Just because your parents have fights after they drink does not mean that when you grow up, you will do the same. You can see that it is bad and change it in your life. You are in control of your life and your parents' income should not reflect your future. I do not understand why this is still an issue today.
