First generation…kind of?

Every time I apply to college programs, register with college board, etc., I get asked if I'm "first-generation". Apparently, this means if none of my parents obtained a 4 year bachelor degree. Well, one of my parents does not have one, but the other is a foreign exchange student who did get a bachelors. She's out of the picture now as she left my family, and she was an abusive mother. So far, my family of 3 makes less than $25,000 annually. So does this nevertheless mean that I'm not first generation? It makes me frustrated that I have this kind of disadvantage, but this would still count as not first generation. Any advice on this?