Wealthy students – the offspring of oligarchs, Middle Eastern royalty, and Asian businesspeople – have replaced bankers as the most common tenants of London’s most expensive flats in London. Apparently one estate agent in Mayfair told a reporter that 35% of his flats in the £750 to £1,000-a-week bracket were now rented by foreign students.
A firm called Uni Baggage, which has been shipping luggage around the UK for many years, also profits from the new breed of super-rich students. It has launched a VIF (Very Important Fresher) service to cater for them: it includes ferrying undergraduates across the country in Rolls-Royces and helicopters, so that they can arrive at their digs in the comfort to which they’re accustomed.
History tells us that the children of rich people get through their money fairly fast, traditionally on wine, horses and the opposite sex . The third generation is supposed to arrive back where the family started, financially speaking. Only those who instill in their children self-discipline and conscientiousness, a willingness to delay gratification and the idea of needing to work for their money will see their family be successful in the longer term. Epicurus despised conspicuous consumption and would have called parents who spoil their children truly unwise. Meanwhile, I suspect that a significant number of fancy Mayfair apartments are being trashed as you read this. Rather their owners than you and me!
Should the government do anything to prevent these parents from spoiling their children?
Below is a parenting test, devised by Dr. Phil, a sort of child- rearing guru. Rather than have the government intervene, perhaps parents should anser these questions.
If they are in denial, nothing much will help them or heir children.
The Parenting Test
Could you be on the path to becoming a destructive parent? If you’re worried that your behavior is dangerous, answer the following questions. Your responses could indicate whether or not you need help.
Do you react to your child out of anger?
After an intense interaction, do you experience guilt?
Do you vent frustrations over situations where your child has no control?
Do you expect perfection from your child?
Are you impatient and/or judgmental?
Would you behave differently if someone were watching?
Is there constructive value to what you’re saying to your child, or is it just negative criticism?
Do you have frequent interactions that leave your child feeling unloved or undervalued?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, Dr. Phil says it’s an indication that you’re on your way to becoming a destructive parent. Start paying closer attention to your actions and feelings before you lose control of your behavior.
I would add some obvious thing he seems to neglect:
– do you give them everything they say they want?
– do you set a good example?
– do you insist on good manners, writing thank- yous, saying ” please” and “thank you”, and relying to emails and messages?