Tuesday, September 23, 2003
The Worst (really) Essay I Have WrittenÂ
- and don't ask me who Jimmy is. I don't know. All right, here goes nothing to wasting space on the internet...
Are rich children always happier than those who come from poorer families?
It has become a cliché to say that wealthy children lead happier lives than those who come from families less well-off. As much as I would like to say that it is true that some rich children bask in the glory of their wealth through flaunting their materialism, it certainly can be contradicted by the other side of the story.
There are many factors that affect the answers to this controversial question. Just to name one, how much time does the child spend with his/her parent? Let’s say there is a boy named Jimmy. He has (too much) money and can buy anything he desires for a seven-year-old. The only thing he cannot buy is his parents’ undivided love and attention. All he has for a companion is a Nanny. A paid friend. He wants friends, he wants people to like him for who he is, not just because he has the latest special edition Super Soaker -a seven-year-old boy’s dream- and has many toy trucks and Lego. How hard will it be for him to find someone who will look past the materialism? Even in a seven-year-old’s mindset, I’d say very. His parents argue that his behaviour has nothing to do with them. They say they work so hard to maintain their lavish lifestyle. Naturally, his young mother would say with a flick of her manicured hand, they have their ‘prior commitments’, and of course little Jimmy should be content with the wonderful Super Soaker they bought him for his birthday. She then adds that he has the enjoyable company of Lucy, the Nanny they hired. His parents may think that all children his age want toys, toys, and more toys. Perhaps they didn’t think so far down the road, of long-term consequences. They’d find out in a decade’s time. There will be a distinct distance between the boy and his parents. Happiness stems from being loved from the heart, not just from material things.
Granted, that isn’t the only scenario of a child born into a well-to-do family (it’s not like he asked to be), but more often than not I see the same picture when I go out. The parents are nowhere in sight, and the poor child is learning from the Nanny, being so dependent on her as if she were his security blanket. I would say that there isn’t an ultimatum towards the real happiness of a wealthy child, but sometimes being brought up in that particular sheltered environment and being spoilt and babied the whole way, would the child survive without the money?
On the other hand, it isn’t completely right to say that poorer people are, indeed, happier. They too will have their share of discontent, or being neglected by their parents all the same. This is subjective, depending on how well the child is well-adjusted to his/her environment.
I have friends who are well-off. Honestly, they can get over the top with stories of places they have been to, or what they got for their birthday, but in the end, they’re lovely people who were born into wealth, like I mentioned earlier. They have learnt not to flaunt their status, however. I’d say that they aren’t just happy, they’re content - in more ways than one, of course. I’m not rich, neither am I poor. I reckon it is just a matter of being satisfied with whatever you have. Another cliché, but concerning this question, I think it is most relevant. It isn’t a matter of being discontent with the lifestyle, rich or poor, it has more to do with parental love than anything.
To answer the question properly is tough. I am not in a position to say who, or who isn’t happy. However, what I can justify now is that no, it isn’t a given situation for a rich child to be happier than a poorer one. A child not so well-off may get the same attention from his/her parents. Being taught principles is always key for growing children, for them to learn how to see past the big stash in their banks, or to learn how to accept it and make the most of it.
written by Ruth Leanne the Great at 9/23/2003 07:55:00 PM
Are rich children always happier than those who come from poorer families?
It has become a cliché to say that wealthy children lead happier lives than those who come from families less well-off. As much as I would like to say that it is true that some rich children bask in the glory of their wealth through flaunting their materialism, it certainly can be contradicted by the other side of the story.
There are many factors that affect the answers to this controversial question. Just to name one, how much time does the child spend with his/her parent? Let’s say there is a boy named Jimmy. He has (too much) money and can buy anything he desires for a seven-year-old. The only thing he cannot buy is his parents’ undivided love and attention. All he has for a companion is a Nanny. A paid friend. He wants friends, he wants people to like him for who he is, not just because he has the latest special edition Super Soaker -a seven-year-old boy’s dream- and has many toy trucks and Lego. How hard will it be for him to find someone who will look past the materialism? Even in a seven-year-old’s mindset, I’d say very. His parents argue that his behaviour has nothing to do with them. They say they work so hard to maintain their lavish lifestyle. Naturally, his young mother would say with a flick of her manicured hand, they have their ‘prior commitments’, and of course little Jimmy should be content with the wonderful Super Soaker they bought him for his birthday. She then adds that he has the enjoyable company of Lucy, the Nanny they hired. His parents may think that all children his age want toys, toys, and more toys. Perhaps they didn’t think so far down the road, of long-term consequences. They’d find out in a decade’s time. There will be a distinct distance between the boy and his parents. Happiness stems from being loved from the heart, not just from material things.
Granted, that isn’t the only scenario of a child born into a well-to-do family (it’s not like he asked to be), but more often than not I see the same picture when I go out. The parents are nowhere in sight, and the poor child is learning from the Nanny, being so dependent on her as if she were his security blanket. I would say that there isn’t an ultimatum towards the real happiness of a wealthy child, but sometimes being brought up in that particular sheltered environment and being spoilt and babied the whole way, would the child survive without the money?
On the other hand, it isn’t completely right to say that poorer people are, indeed, happier. They too will have their share of discontent, or being neglected by their parents all the same. This is subjective, depending on how well the child is well-adjusted to his/her environment.
I have friends who are well-off. Honestly, they can get over the top with stories of places they have been to, or what they got for their birthday, but in the end, they’re lovely people who were born into wealth, like I mentioned earlier. They have learnt not to flaunt their status, however. I’d say that they aren’t just happy, they’re content - in more ways than one, of course. I’m not rich, neither am I poor. I reckon it is just a matter of being satisfied with whatever you have. Another cliché, but concerning this question, I think it is most relevant. It isn’t a matter of being discontent with the lifestyle, rich or poor, it has more to do with parental love than anything.
To answer the question properly is tough. I am not in a position to say who, or who isn’t happy. However, what I can justify now is that no, it isn’t a given situation for a rich child to be happier than a poorer one. A child not so well-off may get the same attention from his/her parents. Being taught principles is always key for growing children, for them to learn how to see past the big stash in their banks, or to learn how to accept it and make the most of it.
written by Ruth Leanne the Great at 9/23/2003 07:55:00 PM
