MomLogic's Annie: When Gossip Girl's Jenny turned to stealing to fit in with the popular rich crowd, I cringed--because I could relate.

This season on Gossip Girl, Jenny's story line is all about the Benjamins--or lack thereof. She gets caught stealing a Valentino dress to fit in with her much wealthier friends. When her father confronts her about her wrongdoing, she explains that paying the tuition for the school is only part of the cost to go there. She spends most of her time figuring out ways to keep up with her friends--including eating her bag lunch in the bathroom--so when she joins her clique at the expensive restaurant she doesn't have to order anything.

I grew up in a wealthy town where kids had two-parent homes, and moms stayed home and made beautiful lunches for their children. My single mom worked, but insisted that we lived there so that my sister and I could have a good education. We had lunch tickets, had to work once we turned 13, and wore hand-me-downs. These, of course, are things that many American kids do, but they made it difficult to live in a town where people lived so much more comfortably than us.

For me, my school work suffered because I spent my days worried about fitting in. Of course having a good education can help your child in her future, but what about all the emotional stress that comes with being in this situation?