by Tricia
To date, the only ones who know us personally and know about our debt are our parents and a few friends. Before I started blogging, no one knew. My siblings still do not know, and part of me wants to tell them and another part doesn’t.
When I first told my mom, she was a little surprised at how much debt we have, but it was fine with her. I somewhat expected that reaction because my parents have always supported me with anything I have done. They know that I may have rough times, but things will work themselves out. But still it never came up in everyday conversation so I never told them.
My siblings, on the other hand, I could probably tell them about my debt. But my concern would be the possible embarassment I could be to them if people that knew them knew about my debt. Probably silly to think that way…but I do.
I know debt is something that we shouldn’t be ashamed of. It doesn’t make us any less of a person. But deep down most of us in debt want people to like us. You think of someone rich having many friends and being popular. You think of someone in debt as someone poor. I don’t know if much can be done to get rid of those stereotypes since they are so prevalent in today’s society.
I think when it comes to sharing with others about your debt, there are a lot of unknowns out there on how people will react. After sharing our debt with a few people that know us, so far the fears have been unwarrented. In some cases, I’ve even found out that others have money woes too and I had no idea. Breaking the ice about debt has lead to conversations about finances that were not there before.
Can you imagine a group of gals discussing the best hairstylists now discussing the best credit cards for balance transfers? Just imagine how much peer groups can learn from one another in regards to handling debt and the support it can create.
All it takes is for someone to break the ice and start the conversation.
