The article recounts a personal journey of the author who graduated college in 2008 and gave birth to their first child a week later. While the author faced challenges such as working night shifts and dealing with unexpected financial pressures, they also experienced moments of serendipity, like winning a scholarship just when they needed it. This narrative reflects the challenges of young adulthood during the Great Recession, portraying the struggles of newlywed parents who transitioned from student life to parenting amidst societal economic turmoil without fully realizing the broader implications.
In 2008, I graduated from college with my Bachelor's degree on May 10 and delivered my daughter exactly a week later. My husband still had a year of school left, so I became the sole supporter of our new little family.
The surprise flat tire and ensuing check feel symbolic of what that time felt like - complete chaos, no money, and making it through in ways that sometimes felt totally random.
We had become adults - and parents - in the midst of a nationwide economic disaster, but for us, it was just normal life.
Neither of us had any idea that the US was in the midst of what would later be called 'The Great Recession.'
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