I had what I always assumed growing up was a “very averagely middle class” upbringing, as I went to state comprehensive school and my family lived in a modest sized house in a large city.
But we went abroad for about 5-6 weeks every year, flew on a plane at least once per year, had countless private music lessons, parents paid for my university, rent and generous “subsistence fund” included, helped with house deposit, Etc.
My first “shock” experience that not everyone had a life like this, I must have been about 12/13 and was invited to a friend’s house after school for tea.
I was appalled to find that our dinner was actually two tiny jacket potatoes that we split between us, sprinkled with a bit of cheese. My friend’s youngest sibling also ate with us, but the middle sibling didn’t eat and neither did the parents. It was clear that this situation was not unusual in their house. There was literally no other food in the house.
I remember feeling really ashamed that they had given me their food out of grace and hospitality, while I knew that my mother would likely have more leftovers for me once I’d got home if I was still hungry.
I will never forget that experience, it was a real first eye opener for me of “ordinary poverty”.
Needless to say, the older I’ve got the more aware I’ve become of how privileged my life actually was growing up.