I have been poor, whereby all of my monthly income was at one point being spent paying bills and inflated mortgage payments, and I could barely survive, literally scraping the back of the sofa for loose change - even walking the 3 miles to work as I had no busfare. My daughter, never knew this - somehow, she was always fed, and clothed. My sister went through a similar phase years ago when she had her young boy. We borrowed to get by and it was shameful at the time but thankfully we both managed to get ourselves out of this rut. Now neither of our children recall those desperate times. As long as parents, no matter how little money they have can keep their children fed and warm - most kids are oblivious to it. I wouldn't class this as poverty though - desperate, unhappy times. But IMO real poverty is having no home, no food and no way out of it. I'm not sure how the government can bleat on about poverty, when they keep most scroungers in a very comfortable lifestyle, but those who work are struggling to make ends meet with little or no help at all from the government.