Growing up during the depression

My grandmother was a young girl during the great depression.  She has told me stories about what it was like back then. She said they were fortunate because her father was able to keep his general store open.  They ended up having to take in most of their family because they had lost their homes.  She said it got really crowded and she shared her room with all of her cousins.  She said she remembered how hard it was to have a store at that time.  People would come in and not be able to pay.  It was hard turning them away, but they had make a living.  She said that she holds onto everything because she lived through the great depression.   

Since I have special affinity for my country and I wanted to know more about what my grandmother lived through, I chose to research the great depression and how it affected children.  I learned that many families crowded into one room shacks, lived in caves, or on the streets.  Many men deserted their families resulting in more than 200,00 vagrant children.  To save money, many families went without medical or dental care.  They couldn't afford milk or meat which led to nutrient deficiencies.  Many children were not able to attend school.

I can only imagine how difficult life must have been for children at this time.  They were forced to grow up quickly and were not able to develop like a typical child.  Due to malnourishment, brain growth and learning were affected.  The constant stress would have affected every aspect of their development.

Source:  Digital History.  http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/children_depression/government_responds.cfm