Ireland's wealth and its young kids

johnnyskeleton

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?

Back in my day we had to walk 40 miles to school with no shoes in the freezing snow and we only ever ate on tuesdays yadda yadda yadda.

Your friend has a lot of money. Who's to say what value really is? Does that answer your question?

Terry

Dudess wrote: »

Meh, the "culchie" remarks on their own weren't any great concern, it's just when they were combined with comments obviously designed to do nothing but rise people:

He also got the year wrong.

CodeMonkey

Dudess wrote: »

None of them have jobs with phenomenal salaries and it can work out cheaper to buy a site and build using direct labour, which is what they've all done. Two of them are actually involved in the construction industry. But I'm not really focusing on the house, more the crazy amount of stuff (to me) that the kid has.

What's a phenomenal salary to you? Do you have to be a millionaire to be considered rich? People in the construction industry made a killing in the last 10 odd years and they can build a big house cheaper with the contacts and knowledge so they obviously have money to spare. House aside, the stuff in the playroom are not that expensive.

That's what I did. I said, in fairness, the kid is well-mannered and polite etc and he'll probably turn out fine in every other respect, but he won't have any appreciation for money, material goods etc. I mean, where's the fun in that for a kid? Christmas must be far less exciting now than it was before Ireland's economic boom.

Is appreciation for money really that important? Giving gifts to kids surely is not the only way to get them excited.

But again, Ireland never had the wealth it has now - it's not even relative wealth compared to 20 years ago, it's a full-on assault of cash. And what's being done with it is extreme.

So what? It's only a problem if the parents have no parenting skills and spoil the kid. You said so yourself that it's not the case with your friends.

No need to buy one for the kid though. If it's so that the parents can watch TV in peace without the kid whinging because they want to see something on the other station, then why can't the kid just be told no?! That's what my parents did!

Them tv are cheap unless you are taling about the latest 40" lcds. Sky plus probably handy to record kids programs so they can turn it on and keep the kid occuppied when the parents wants some alone time. DVD player for the same reason, put on a barney dvd for the kid eyc. Have you witnessed the kid demanding to watch tv like a spoilt brat?

And that's what I witnessed. Ok there was a forced "thank you" but it still wasn't pleasant to see.

Maybe he's a shy kid? You know not all kids from the same background jumps up and down with excitement when they get presents especially in front of strangers.

Gekko

have to say I feel pretty poor compared to this kid! I

In fairness it sounds like the parents thought ahead and the kid has nearly everything he'll want when he's a teenager. In their mind it made sense to pay for all this and build a wet room while they're building the house and have the money.

Some kids live materially richer lives than others - nothing new in this really.

With all respect to the OP - I found this an interesting thread - perhaps her post says more about her than the kid mentioned!

Dudess

Gekko wrote: »

perhaps her post says more about her than the kid mentioned!

Or "perhaps" it's because I find it shocking that a small child gets way too much stuff - nothing more sinister than that.

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Back in my day we had to walk 40 miles to school with no shoes in the freezing snow and we only ever ate on tuesdays yadda yadda yadda.

Lol! Really sensible analogy. Not a bit disproportionate. I don't know. I just think that if I've kids I won't be bombarding them with loads of unnecessary stuff - if just to make those moments when they do get presents that bit more exciting. That's just me. Obviously that means I'll barely feed them and I'll get a broken portable black and white TV which they can watch once a week if they've their hard labour chores done. Because that's the only kind of parent one could be if one disagreed with giving kids an insane amount of stuff - by your logic anyway.

Three things that mean the same thing:
- People who just love arguing for the sake of arguing and being a dissenting voice to After Hours
- Bees to honey
- Flies to sh*t

Jackz

Dude when you have lots of strong opinions expect people to argue with you. e.g. "A guy would only have a gf younger than him because she is a piece of flange to show off as his" I agree there are people here who argue for the sake of it without going to the effort of supporting their own opinion properly.

Dudess

Jackz wrote: »

when you have lots of strong opinions expect people to argue with you.

I don't think feeling that it's not a good idea to bombard a small child with loads of expensive stuff is a particularly "strong" opinion though. To me, it's just sensible. You gotta be able to lay down the law to a degree and not just give a child every single thing he/she wants whenever they want it. That's not good for the kid. And I'm certainly not advocating that you behave like some draconian killjoy with your kids either - but naturally there are people on Boards who like to say that.

e.g. "A guy would only have a gf younger than him because she is a piece of flange to show off as his"

In SOME cases. Of course not in all.

Duckjob

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Back in my day we had to walk 40 miles to school with no shoes in the freezing snow and we only ever ate on tuesdays yadda yadda yadda.

"Back when I were a lad, our father used to beat us to sleep with broken bottles"

I can identify with what Dudess is saying. Kids now have an awful lot, and seem somewhat jaded about receiving gifts - nothing impresses them really.

Conversely, growing up in the 80s, we had feck-all, and so a £50.00 birthday present was something you would count the days 6 months of the year for.