Literacy is part of all home situations from hearing stories and having reading materials on hand, to their perceptions about the process of learning to read and write. From the perspective of participants in this study, poor home life, inadequate teaching, and school failure are perceived as reasons why they had difficulty learning to read. Thus, these parents show a great deal of awareness of their antecedent literacy experiences and the effect of these experiences on subsequent literacy activities. They also see schools as the place where children learn to read. As previously discussed, however, it seems that they do not recognize how their everyday interactions such as cooking, baking, shopping, or financial management might provide opportunities for learning and facilitating literacy.

In cases where parents experienced limited educational success, or struggled with learning disabilities, they may lack the skills and knowledge to engage their children in a range of literacy activities at home, or to participate fully in their children's education. Lynne states, "I didn't really like school!…I just didn't want to learn…I'd rather play." It appears that Lynne did not see the connection between staying in school longer and having different outcomes. She proudly reports however that she has always been able to find a job and really has not had to use many skills from school, "Well I worked in the dish room so nobody really…didn't have to get involved with anybody. You're just stuck in the back room doing dishes."

It seems that, for Lynne, to be employable despite her incomplete education is a matter of personal pride. While this attitude may encourage her daughter to follow a similar fate, it is not certain that this will necessarily be the case. The fact that this mother has always worked despite her limited educational achievement is likely to have a positive effect in showing her daughter the value of self-support. What is important in this case is that the mother exhibits pride in securing employment in spite of her lack of higher education. This participant's employment in low-paying occupations may serve to highlight the value of achieving a higher level of education and encourage her daughter to pursue more education than her mother in order to secure higher-paying employment opportunities.