Ireland's wealth and its young kids

Dudess

I happened to be at the house of a friend's friend over Christmas (she needed to call to her briefly to give her five-year-old son a present and I was with her). Anyway, the house was newly built and she took us for a tour around it. It was like something out of Cribs but what really struck me was that the five-year-old had a walk-in wardrobe and his own enormous en-suite - and not just any old en-suite, but a wet room! He also had a playroom next to his enormous double bedroom, complete with a flat-screen TV, Sky Plus and a DVD player!
His present was a pretty decent toy, but he was just so indifferent to it. I mean he was polite and he thanked her but it was obvious he was so unimpressed. And to be fair to the little fella he wasn't rude, and it really isn't his fault. He's only five and the bar has clearly been set so high that it would take an awful lot to impress him.
It really brought it home to me how there's gonna be a new generation of people who will have no concept of the value of anything, and won't appreciate anything unless it's exceptionally expensive. I don't like to think about how these people will be. Or maybe they'll turn out ok in other respects, just not when it comes to material items.
My generation has had it pretty easy too, but I was a small kid in the 80s so at least I remember when there was far less money in this country, and I have some concept of value.
But so many Celtic Tiger kids - they have absolutely no idea of anything other than insane wealth. And it's quite an unsettling thought.
Or am I wrong?

Guy:Incognito

Theres always been rich people with rich kids.

Oh and seeing as they are getting blamed in every other thread, blody FF making us rich,the cheek of them.

patrickc

yeh its hateful the little pric*ks

my daughter will never be spoiled to that degree

artanevilla

You are right, I reckon I'm lucky cause I missed this generation by a few years. If I even have kids I will strive to ensure that they aren't spoilt (this is probably easier said than done), the parents have to take the most blame, alot are too afraid to put their foots down.

Dudess

Stekelly wrote: »

Theres always been rich people with rich kids.

Oh of course, but it looks like it's becoming particularly widespread in 2008 Ireland. And it's not just the kids of rich people who get anything they want. These are the children of people who are the same age as me and not much older. It seems insane to me, why doesn't it seem insane to them? Maybe a lot of them just end up caving in in order to keep up with the Jones', their kids' schoolmates etc.

Dave!

Dudess wrote: »

I happened to be at the house of a friend's friend over Christmas (she needed to call to her briefly to give her five-year-old son a present and I was with her). Anyway, the house was newly built and she took us for a tour around it. It was like something out of Cribs but what really struck me was that the five-year-old had a walk-in wardrobe and his own enormous en-suite - and not just any old en-suite, but a wet room! He also had a playroom next to his enormous double bedroom, complete with a flat-screen TV, Sky Plus and a DVD player!
His present was a pretty decent toy, but he was just so indifferent to it. I mean he was polite and he thanked her but it was obvious he was so unimpressed. And to be fair to the little fella he wasn't rude, and it really isn't his fault. He's only five and the bar has clearly been set so high that it would take an awful lot to impress him.
It really brought it home to me how there's gonna be a new generation of people who will have no concept of the value of anything, and won't appreciate anything unless it's exceptionally expensive. I don't like to think about how these people will be. Or maybe they'll turn out ok in other respects, just not when it comes to material items.
My generation has had it pretty easy too, but I was a small kid in the 80s so at least I remember when there was far less money in this country, and I have some concept of value.
But so many Celtic Tiger kids - they have absolutely no idea of anything other than insane wealth. And it's quite an unsettling thought.
Or am I wrong?

Well you can take it that that is not the norm. Really rich people have that sort of sh*t, it is by no means a product of the Celtic Tiger. As was mentioned, there's always been rich people and rich kids. I'm sure there's a point to be made in the OP, but using this example to illustrate it does not do it justice. That sounds like aristocracy, it is not a common thing.

Dudess

They're not particularly rich though! Sorry, I should have mentioned that. And I should also have mentioned that I know four other couples who are either in the process of building or have built, and the houses are absolute mammoth things - with completely unnecessary space and rooms. Again, none of these couples are particularly well off. They're doing well enough for themselves but they're certainly not rich.

DonJose

Stekelly wrote: »

blody FF making us rich,the cheek of them.

Theres one thing rich, theres another thing being in debt. Ireland has one of the highest public debt rates per capita in the world. The Irish are not rich, we've just borrowed more money than anybody else.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_deb_ext_percap-economy-debt-external-per-capita

kowloon

They throw hissy fits if they don't get the iphone that their friend gets, its a competition thing and the parents are in on it, trying to outdo the neighbours.

I think it's a living through your kids thing as much as just wealth.

I see friends relatives bringing up their designer clothed children with their American accents and it makes me cringe

leninbenjamin

Stekelly wrote: »

blody FF making us rich,the cheek of them.

FF supporter perhaps? 'cause that's not how it happened.

Dudess

kowloon wrote: »

They throw hissy fits if they don't get the iphone that their friend gets, its a competition thing and the parents are in on it, trying to outdo the neighbours.

I think it's a living through your kids thing as much as just wealth.

I see friends relatives bringing up their designer clothed children with their American accents and it makes me cringe

Yeah, I really don't think the kids can be blamed. But what spinelessness by the parents!

Guy:Incognito

leninbenjamin wrote: »

FF supporter perhaps? 'cause that's not how it happened.

It never is when it's a positive change.

DonJose wrote: »

Theres one thing rich, theres another thing being in debt. Ireland has one of the highest public debt rates per capita in the world. The Irish are not rich, we've just borrowed more money than anybody else.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_deb_ext_percap-economy-debt-external-per-capita

I seriously doubt the type of peoplebeing talked aboutin the OP are the type who borrowed way above their means for what they have.Unless of course we are talking about a 3 bed semi that the 5 year old has the whole upper floor of.

Dave!

Dudess wrote: »

They're not particularly rich though! Sorry, I should have mentioned that. And I should also have mentioned that I know four other couples who are either in the process of building or have built, and the houses are absolute mammoth things - with completely unnecessary space and rooms. Again, none of these couples are particularly well off. They're doing well enough for themselves but they're certainly not rich.

Sounds to me like you're rich too in that case!

leninbenjamin

Stekelly wrote: »

I seriously doubt the type of peoplebeing talked aboutin the OP are the type who borrowed way above their means for what they have.Unless of course we are talking about a 3 bed semi that the 5 year old has the whole upper floor of.

i think the whole lawyer doing the runner incident has perfectly illustrated why you can never fully know who's doing the bulk of the borrowing in this country.

Peared

Yeah Ive noticed this too Dudess. I think the difference between now and 10 or 20 years ago is that its not just rich kids who have a mental amount of stuff and live excessive lifestyles. It seems to be the norm for kids now. And obviously the more they get, the more they expect and the less they appreciate. And your right, its not their faults. Kids will adapt to whatever is around them. I have seen kids whos parents cant be arsed getting them to brush their teeth or giving them lunches for school or even washing their clothes properly but they have the xbox and the wii and a phone for a few hundred quid.

Its hard to see how adult life can offer them the same rewards for simply existing. Methinks a generation of cant be a*sed why should I bother wasters is on the way. I think also this is something that cant be pinned down to one particular section of society, it seems to be prevalent among all the classes (for want of a better word)

kowloon

Dudess wrote: »

Yeah, I really don't think the kids can be blamed. But what spinelessness by the parents!

Don't blame the kids at all, and in a way they're suffering for it.
They go outside less, and when they do all their physical activity is of the regulated competitive variety, the parents then go and hiijack this aswell.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

yeah, you're wrong.

Dudess

DaveMcG wrote: »

Sounds to me like you're rich too in that case!

:mad: I'll have you know I'm from the ghetto and I'm keepin' it real!!

But yeah, this sh*t certainly doesn't seem to be restricted to rich folks. I was in Smyths Toys before Christmas and there were people with TROLLEY-loads of stuff - piled to the point where there was stuff sliding off.

rainbowtrout

kowloon wrote: »

They throw hissy fits if they don't get the iphone that their friend gets, its a competition thing and the parents are in on it, trying to outdo the neighbours.

I think it's a living through your kids thing as much as just wealth.

I see friends relatives bringing up their designer clothed children with their American accents and it makes me cringe

Totally agree, in the school i work in we've brought in a uniform plain tracksuit/polo shirt combo for PE as there was so much competition to have the latest football shirt/nike, adidas tracksuit etc.

I found photos recently of my own school tour (early to mid 90s) and there isn't a branded hoodie/tracksuit/pair of jeans in sight. How things have changed.


If I ever have children, they will not be getting spoiled like some of the brats I see. You can't really blame the kids though, kids will push to get what they want and it's the parents that are funding it all. Even when you look at people now buying houses, how many new houses have you visited and got the tour of where the whole thing hasn't been finished off to the last detail. There's no such thing as saving until you can afford to do up the back bedroom or making do with cheap/secondhand furniture, or painting rooms one by one. Most of it is keeping up with the Jones and instant gratification funded by credit cards or lumping the whole lot into an enormous mortgage. Can't really blame the kids when that's what they're coming from.

oh and the kids speaking with American accents drives me cracked too. i think i'll pack in the job when they start saying 'Awesome!'

biko

Around 330 people are valued at €30 million or higher.

Another 2,970 are valued at between €5m and €30m, while 29,700 are worth between €1m and €5m. That means that around 1% of the population hold 20% of Ireland’s wealth.

beanyb

rainbowtrout wrote: »

I found photos recently of my own school tour (early to mid 90s) and there isn't a branded hoodie/tracksuit/pair of jeans in sight. How things have changed.

Wow, I definitely didnt have that experience. I was in primary school around that time, and branded hoodies/tracksuits and runners in particular were everywhere. If you didnt have a pair of Nike Airmax runners and a pair of Adidas tearaways you were nobody!

I definitely dont think that the situation in the OP is the norm. Yes, there are some people who are completely idiotic with their money, but I still reckon the vast majority of people wouldnt even consider giving that kind of stuff to their 5 year old son.

littlejukka

i got my nephew a digger/dumptruck thing for christmas. he's 2 and has a rake of toys but still goes nuts for anything new, interesting, colourful. if there had been disinterest or indifference to it i would have taken it home to play with the thing mysefl.

leninbenjamin

biko wrote: »

Around 330 people are valued at €30 million or higher.

Another 2,970 are valued at between €5m and €30m, while 29,700 are worth between €1m and €5m. That means that around 1% of the population hold 20% of Ireland’s wealth.

This being Ireland, I'll hazard most of that wealth will be held in property. But property is still devaluing, and becoming increasingly hard to shift. a lot of people aren't as wealthy as they think they are.

Dudess

beanyb wrote: »

I still reckon the vast majority of people wouldnt even consider giving that kind of stuff to their 5 year old son.

What's weird is that they are such a down-to-earth couple and he's not spoilt in any other sense. They are staunch disciplinarians and have manners absolutely drilled into him. And he's a nice kid. It seems he'll turn out ok in other respects but I doubt he'll have ANY concept of the material value of stuff.

Guy:Incognito

Dudess wrote: »

But yeah, this sh*t certainly doesn't seem to be restricted to rich folks. I was in Smyths Toys before Christmas and there were people with TROLLEY-loads of stuff - piled to the point where there was stuff sliding off.

Couple of things about that. 1) do only poor people shop in Smyths? If so,where do rich people buy their toys? 2) there are people with large familes and 3) Big and or multiple things does not nessecarily equal spendign huge sums.

thefinalstage

Pfft! When the next famine/viral outbreak comes along they will all die. We will see twenty year olds screaming "MAMMY!" when they have to get their vaccine injections.

kowloon

I spend less on clothes than my 12yr old niece.

Thing is, i was well off as a child, but parents still didn't feel the need to accessorise their children with expensive crap.

Dudess

kowloon wrote: »

Thing is, i was well off as a child, but parents still didn't feel the need to accessorise their children with expensive crap.

Me too. We weren't what you'd call rich but we were relatively well-off. However my parents were poor growing up so they were damned if they were gonna give us everything we wanted.

thefinalstage

Dudess wrote: »

Me too. We weren't what you'd call rich but we were relatively well-off. However my parents were poor growing up so they were damned if they were gonna give us everything we wanted.

The picture begins to form...

Its such a waste giving the child that kind of stuff, they probably don't even know to turn the stuff on yet! Unless of course it is to watch Post Man Pat.

bongi69

Try being on the front line!
I work in a games shop, in an area not renowned for its wealth, and the period leading up to christmas was mental.
My childhood wasn't that long ago, and already the next generation seems really obsessed with money.
Then again I did grow up a world away from here, in South Africa. For fun we went outside and played football, or rugby, or chasing or numerous other games we imagined up.
Nowadays, you have a games console, designed so that you dont have to go outside and work up a sweat. And of course, evey kid wants it, and the parents wont stop at anything to get it. I was personally threatened by people looking for the Wii, thinking we were just stashing them away for ourselves

thefinalstage

bongi69 wrote: »

Try being on the front line!
I work in a games shop, in an area not renowned for its wealth, and the period leading up to christmas was mental.
My childhood wasn't that long ago, and already the next generation seems really obsessed with money.
Then again I did grow up a world away from here, in South Africa. For fun we went outside and played football, or rugby, or chasing or numerous other games we imagined up.
Nowadays, you have a games console, designed so that you dont have to go outside and work up a sweat. And of course, evey kid wants it, and the parents wont stop at anything to get it. I was personally threatened by people looking for the Wii, thinking we were just stashing them away for ourselves

I've seen that myself. Worthless eejits.