Short And Long Term Effects Of Poverty On Children

How Poverty Effects Children As They Grow Up Despite what some may think, poverty is a growing problem in America (Wood 1). Yes, real live, actual poverty. Poverty can be defined as “the minimum annual income necessary for an adequate standard of living” (Wienclaw 1). Poverty is not just something that people living in third world countries experience. Poverty is harmful and hard to handle not only for one person, but also for their whole family. Children are affected by poverty, too, believe it or not. Children raised in poverty-filled families will experience several short-term effects as well as long-term effects. One short-term effect that poverty has on children is sicknesses. Poverty can impact a household in the quality of the water
According to one study, poverty is the main cause of many problems teens encounter, including crime among adolescents: “Poverty is so strongly connected to nearly everything adults think is wrong with "kids today"—murder, violent crime, unintended pregnancy, AIDS, smoking, dropping out of school—that it dwarfs every other factor” (Males 1). Because the rates of poverty are constantly increasing, so are the rates of juvenile crime. Teens who were raised in poverty-filled families believe that they can take care of themselves. If they need something, they will do whatever is necessary to get it- which, in most cases, means that they will steal it. If they cannot afford to buy it, most of the time that does not mean they will not get it. Also, if they think that they need money, they will go to extreme measures to get it, including selling drugs and other illegal substances. Teens who experienced poverty as children will do anything necessary to have money and the things that they want because their parents did not have the means to get the things for them. Poverty and teen crime go
Although grade school is required for children, and they can attend public school and not have to pay much money, the same cannot be said about attending college. College costs money, and in most cases, a lot of it. Nowadays, to have a decent paying job, a college education is required, and that is common sense. Therefore, it may be more difficult for poverty effected teens to attend college and have a more successful life in the future. Although most effects of poverty among children are negative, many children that are raised in families who deal with poverty have an increased drive to be successful as they become adults. Poverty effects how people see the world, and it effects how people see their lives. If a child is raised in a poverty-filled family as a child, when they become adults, their drive to have a better future will be increased. They will want to have a better life for them and their families than they had as a child. Being affected by poverty can make a person strive for a successful life as an