financial issues
Financial issues can be seen in this show as well as in our society today. Many times the Heck family will have to cut back on certain things in order to save money, much like families do in our society. In season 4 episode 3, Frankie Heck loses her job at the car dealership. Even though this is very hard on her and her family she decides to enroll in technical school so she can go into a career. This can be related to many families in our society that have a parent who may have lost a job.
This shows how in most families the father works more than the mother. In the case for "The Middle", they have three children, Mike works, and Frankie recently lost her job. Compared to the statistics for their family, Mike should be working and Frankie would be going against what the statistics say if she was to be working also.
It can be seen that more and more non-traditional students are enrolling. As the enrollment of regular students increases, the enrollment for older students increases along with it. According to washingtonmonthly.com, "Roughly 40 percent of America’s college students are non-traditional students." When Frankie decides to go back to school, she is not alone. Many people in our society are going back to school even though they are older. For some this doesn't work out, but for many they are able to get the skills and knowledge needed to go out and get a good paying job or career in today's society.