Social Mobility

Read a touching article from a UK newspaper online (props to mrbrown).

The key to social mobility is having a devoted and determined family
Because, to my mind, social engineering isn't the best way to propel a child out of a council estate and onto better things. There is a much more effective solution — and my friends and I are living proof of it.
I didn't end up eating £100 steaks because someone put a 'Poor Kid' sign around my neck and sent me to be taught with the children of millionaires.
No, I got there thanks to my mum and dad, who worked their socks off to ensure their children were well-fed, well-clothed and well educated.

I can relate very strongly to this and do constantly feel guilty about not spending enough time with my parents, even though they understand that we are busy these days working and raising our little one. I come from a family where only my Dad worked (really hard at times), and thanks to capital gains, managed to put me through university (both degrees, although i did get some help in the form of a 'local' scholarship), for which i am forever grateful. These days I find my broad education in a wide range of technologies a blessing as i talk to engineers, researchers and inventors, because i can understand their tech-speak and relate to them easily. Growing up, i never had to worry about food or clothing, and i got pretty much whatever i wanted. However whatever i wanted was influenced by upbringing and conditioning by my mother, hence i never asked for a holiday to disneyland lol. My parents never held back when it came to my education, whether it be trips to the science centre (however many), or music lessons. In fact, there was a period when my fees per month added to more than $500 (piano, organ and drums) (although for a good time i was on scholarship which did help heh). It is with this background that I can entertain (largely) myself and others (when i play for mass).

Which then leads to, what can our offspring achieve? I think what we have/can achieve is freedom for her. She will have choices which we did not have before, since we were told to pick our degrees (thence professions) with one eye on what we want to do for the rest of our lives, which leads to traditional (boring?) roles like doctor, lawyer, accountant and engineer.

I once discussed about being thankful to my Mum and her reply was that we repay our debt to our parents by bringing up our kids the same way they brought us up, with plenty of love and affection. And to that aim we will strive.