As the discussions of equality continue worldwide, one word that has been used a lot is privilege. 
     It was a concept I used to not understand. Sure, I thought, I grew up in the United States of America in a loving family with the gospel.  But I worked for what I got!
     Now, I realize that my privilege was far much more than that. My privilege was not only to grow up in a home that was loving -- it was to grow up in a home free of abuse and neglect. Working in a treatment facility has taught me that my perfect home situation is nothing more than a fantasy for far too many children.
     I am a successful adult because I worked hard my whole life and earned what I got, I thought. Actually, my privilege was not only to grow up in a loving home -- it was to grow up being TAUGHT the work ethics I needed to succeed as an adult, and to be GIVEN the resources. My parents helped me with my homework throughout my school years {my mom was a stay-at-home mother} and not only encouraged me to take the ACT, but paid for me to have a tutor so that I could get a higher score the second time I took it.  I will have a good future and make money because I made the choice to go to college, I thought. Really, my privilege was to have parents who emphasized all growing up the value of getting a degree, and then for them to pay for a good portion of my school expenses until I was eligible for scholarships.  Sure, I got lots of full-ride scholarships, but could I have pulled off the good grades if I had had to work more than 15 hours a week to pay for the previous semesters?
     White privilege is a thing of the past, I thought. But I realize there ARE stereotypes.  Why is it that we still make comments, innocent or not, when a white girl decides to go out with a black guy, or vise versa? Why, when we tell a story, do we have to mention specifically if the person was black {why does it matter}? Maybe my privilege was to be able to play 007 {similar to Cops and Robbers} as a teen without my neighbor automatically thinking my friends and I were up to no good and calling the cops. And yet people are "suspicious" if they see black people out and about in their neighborhood, even if it's for no more than an evening jog.
     My privilege has given me an unearned advantage in society due to the circumstances of I was born into. I have had the opportunity to travel the world, and I have enjoyed the everyday luxuries of upper-middle class suburban living.  My mom was one of those people who was able to rise up above the odds of her tough childhood and create the life that I have.  But for me, my successes as an adult will always come back around to these blessings I had as a child. It's not to say that I don't have freedom of choice, but many of the choices I make will only be available because of the opportunities I was given from the beginning.

     So what can I do with this privilege? Sometimes we say privilege like it's a bad thing, like it makes us ungrateful, naive and spoiled people.  We want to deny it and say, Well I had challenges in my life! Having privilege does not invalidate our challenges, of course.  But we can still acknowledge the advantages we've been given.  For me, I hope that I can use my privilege of having kind parents to pass along the messages of self-love to my girls at the treatment facility. I hope I can use my privilege of having parents who helped me pay for college to get a degree where I can help people who have been put at the disadvantage of speech-language disorders. I hope I can generally see beyond my self and guide others who are in pain.