As a kid who wasn't so poor, but did have a few poor friends, I can point out some anecdotal differences:
My parents had time to show interest in my school activities, discuss what we were learning, and find out if I needed help. When I couldn't understand centripetal force to my satisfaction for my 5th grade science fair project about the yoyo, they invited their NASA friend over for dinner so he could talk about it with me.
I never wondered if my parents could afford to buy school items. I never worried about my parents being in a bad mood because they lost their jobs or couldn't afford to put food on the table and go to a relative's funeral. (I remember being at a friend's house while his parents were fighting about this.)
I had a friend whose parents were very poor when her father lost his job, he was in a horrible mood for weeks and then turned to alcohol. Growing up in that kind of environment is incredibly stressful.
I didn't understand it so much as a little kid, just later. For me, getting a B was a horribly stressful event. My parents might be disappointed and I might be stupid. For my friend being home was a horribly stressful event. Grades never mattered at all to her. Her parents didn't have time to pay attention to her schoolwork, they had other more important things to worry about.
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