Growing up, I was lucky to have amazing parents and many wonderful opportunities that I believe made me who I am today. Although I always had what I needed and was even given a little extra, I was helpful around the house, appreciative and was not the spoiled rotten child. I knew the value of a dollar and I believe that’s why I don't take things for granted today.

I was raised to know that not everyone is dealt the same hand from the start. Some people have nothing and have to work for everything they need and want in life. Other people have it all and don’t really have to work as hard for the things they need and want. In my family, both my parents worked, my dad had two jobs and my mom had one. At a young age, you don't put the two together meaning that if your parents didn’t work, then all of the things that you have most likely wouldn't be there. Sometimes we take the simple things for granted. The word simple is actually ambiguous because our meaning of simple could be totally different from someone else’s meaning of simple. To me, a simple thing is having running water to be able to take a shower in the morning, but other people might not even have a home, let alone a shower with running hot water.

As I got older, I realized that my parents didn't just work for themselves, but they worked for my brother and I as well. We had all the new toys that came out, bikes, four-wheelers, pets and we were lucky enough to play sports starting from the day we could walk all the way through high school. For those of you who weren’t sports people growing up, you can relate no matter what your passion was, whether it be music, dance or really anything that took up time and money. My parents were dedicated to sports just like my brother and I were. We played hockey, soccer, softball, baseball and golf. They paid for the equipment we needed for the sport, they paid for the tournaments we were in away from home, the sports pictures we took every year and they gave us their time supporting us at every game we had. Looking back, that was a lot of money and time they gave us for just a small chunk of what made up our lives.

Another way I was privileged growing up was that I had been on different trips and seen parts of the world, small bits at a time. I know that some kids can’t say that they have ever been on a plane or even stayed in a hotel before. Flying on a plane and staying in a hotel was always super fun to me. But at a young age, I was taught that even people my parents' age had never done those things before. I can say that I have been to places like the ocean, Sea World and the most magical place on earth, Disney World, but not every kid can say that. Being young and standing outside in line at an amusement park, I’m sure some kids were thinking, “It’s too hot to be standing out here,” “I wish this line wasn’t so long” and “I’m hungry.” But really they should have thought, “It’s a nice day to be at an amusement park,” “I hope I’m going to have as much fun as the kids ahead of me in line when it’s my turn,” and “I’ll eat when it’s lunch time.” Sometimes in the moment, we don’t always take the time to step back and realize we are lucky enough to even be there.

I can also say that at every birthday and holiday, my family was there to celebrate with me and I received the cake with the candles, the presents and all the love and memories. In some people’s family, a birthday was just another day on the calendar and some parents had to say that Santa couldn't make it that year. My parents were always really involved in the holidays. For Halloween, we always carved pumpkins, dressed up, passed out candy and went out trick-or-treating. For Thanksgiving, we had the big dinner with the whole family and the wishbone to break at the end. For Christmas, we decorated the tree, put out the milk and cookies and Santa always came. For Easter, we had the easter egg hunt and the easter egg baskets at the end. And when we lost a tooth, the tooth fairy always came. I know that not every kid can say that their childhood consisted of all that, but I was privileged enough to say the least.

All in all, I think the difference between being privileged and spoiled is knowing the value of things, being grateful for what you have and embracing the fact that not everyone has the same things in life. Being taught at a young age how to say please and thank you, always sharing and being thankful for the simplest things in life, have all helped to make me a better person. I was lucky enough to be dealt the hand that I was in life. So yes, I was a privileged child–not a spoiled one.