"If your parents buy you everything, you will never appreciate the value of money."

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If your parents buy you a car and you don't need one, you're spoiled, end of.

Facebook philosophers are the worst.

Posted from TSR Mobile

What if all your friends have 10 cars? Should you not have a TV because millions of the worlds poorest can't afford one?

Why is it students without cars against whom extravagance is contrasted?

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 41

username1638403

Original post by EloiseStar

So I was on good old Facebook :rolleyes:

recently and somebody posted a rant along the lines of "If your parents buy you everything, you will never appreciate the value of money...". They basically moaned about parents buying their kids cars and such and argued that those kids will never learn the value of money.

Honestly, I was offended. I do not have everything bought for me but my parents will if it's not beyond their means, my dad justified it as he just wants to give me more opportunities than he did growing up, and it hasn't ruined me, I am aware of the value of money, I'm not wasteful etc.

I was wondering how others feel about this? I think the comment made on FB was a wide (and wrong) assumption.

"If your parents buy you everything, you will never appreciate the value of money."Discuss.

I appreciate that person can't generalize like that, everyone is different, brought up differently, have different mind-sets, but practically every person i've come across that gets everything put onto a plate for them has no idea about the real world.
Personally i didn't come from a very wealthy family, i've never asked my parents for money when i got to an age where i understood financial problems, etc and whenever i wanted something, I had to work very hard for it on my own.
I guess the person that uploaded that status was just annoyed, i know i have been before. I had one friend that does not have a clue and is so prissy, she used to say she isn't getting a job her parents will pay for everything, i said what about when they die? She's like i have uncles and aunties, i hate people like that, especially ones that rub it in, not going to lie i have gotten envious in the past, all my friends starting driving lessons as soon as they turned 17, getting it paid for by their parents and here's me saving for it, and what happens when they pass? Oh their parents will pay for a car ofc, but i've always had the mentality that everything i own i want to be able to say i paid for that, i worked hard for that, i guess where the person that wrote that status is coming from is they don't like people in that situation that don't appreciate what they have and don't realize how hard other people have to work to gain all those things, and they should at least have some decency to repay their parents or pay for somethings themselves.
One thing that really annoys me though is, for e.g. on Instagram when you see girls/ guys flashing all these expensive things acting like they work hard and get paid, etc when mummy and daddy bought it for them.

Reply 42

EloiseStar

I think everyone has raised good points :smile:

Reply 43

Hal.E.Lujah

Wait, are people actually arguing with the Statement in title? :facepalm:

Reply 44

Maid Marian

Not necessarily, I think it's something you understand with age and maturity.

Reply 45

TimmonaPortella

Original post by Lil08

Personally speaking, even if my parents brought me everything, I'd still have something to point at and be ungrateful about. Its just human nature.

I dunno, my parents always bought me everything I wanted that was relatively minor (i.e. phones, consoles, holidays and trips with friends, but not, like, cars... although I've never really needed a car), they still help me out a lot, and I'm pretty much just grateful. Also, I can budget perfectly competently. That's just about being able to do simple arithmetic and exercise self-restraint.

I genuinely think a lot of the 'I won't spoil my children' stuff comes from a desire to turn a negative (i.e. being bought relatively little stuff by one's parents) into a positive (i.e. look at how much better my character is as a result!). How about you just buy your children things and bring them up properly, so that they don't become ungrateful and self-entitled?

I don't even know what is meant by 'appreciating the value of money'. I value money in terms of what it can buy. Are other people applying some other valuation?

Reply 46

insert-username

Even people who dont have everything bought for them dont necessarily value money.
most lottery winners who come from non-privileged backgrounds end up bankrupt because they blow their money on parties, expenses houses, friends and expensive trips.

It has nothing to do with a person's privilege, its individual differences.
I come from a very privileged background - my family is rich and i'm very grateful and aware of how good my life is. i'm also very aware of the value of money. I'm young - its easy to get tempted and spend money of Tvs and gameswhen i get regular spending allowances from my family. But i come from a family of very generous people who raised me with a strong appreciation of generosity and hard work.

It's not about what you get from your parents that determines your appreciation of money. its about what they teach you to appreciate and deserve it.

I was trained to work hard - my family riches came from the hard work of my grandmother. I was taught that I couldnt expect anything if i wasnt willing to work for it. At my age, being a student the only thing I can do now to show my granparents gratitude is working hard in school. with grades like A*A*A and studying medicine at university, my family have no issue with buying me cars and giving me regular spending money. I'v shown them that I can work hard and that also when they're no longer around to keep giving me money i'll have a secure future to support myself and take care of them.

The only cause for concern is when parents spoil their kids = give them whatever they want even though the kid doesnt do well at school, doesnt work hard or even attempt to put effort into anything. that's what causes problems.

Reply 47

McMicheal

Original post by EloiseStar

So I was on good old Facebook :rolleyes:

If you don't have money, then you won't learn how to appreciate it or how to manage your finances well, how to invest and plan ahead.

By being broke or just getting by, you can't do that and it makes you think more in short term which I think is worse, that's how people end up in dead-end jobs and work there for decades.

Buying every little **** for kids would be spoiling them which is unnecessary, buying them a house, a car, opening investment fund if you can afford that, is more beneficial in my opinion than harmful.

It's just speeding things up, giving them more choices instead of having them save up for many years to get those things, you're making them free to do other things.

So instead of working weekends in some part-time job at a shopping mall your kid could be doing his doctors degree or starting his own business.

I think Facebook philosophers often don't understand what they're sharing, they just think it sounds smart.