11 Things That Make Rich Parents Feel Proud But Just Embarrass Their Kids
These things are normal for wealthy parents to be proud of, but their children often feel quite differently.
Lunarts Studio via Canva Having wealthy parents can come with plenty of perks like lavish vacations, private schools, and access to VIP areas others could only dream about. With all that privilege comes a unique kind of experience that all of us could surprisingly relate to when you dive deeper into it. Sure, we are never going to know what it's like to inherit a Fortune 500 Company from our parents, but the children of the wealthy don't always get the opportunity to truly be who they want to be or marry who they want to marry.
They may be expected to follow in their parents' footsteps, no matter how absurd it may seem. It's not always as glamorous as it seems. Sometimes, the very things that make their parents beam with pride can make them feel completely inadequate. There comes a time when a child of rich parents just wants to be their own individual who can do things all on their own.
Here are 11 things that make rich parents feel proud but just embarrass their kids
1. Bragging about their wealth
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Rich parents take pride in showing off their wealth to others, believing that it reflects their success and hard work. For them, these braggadocious tales are a way of celebrating their achievements and boasting about what their children will one day inherit. It can be quite embarrassing for their children, who may have already wanted to try to distinguish themselves outside of these wealthy spheres.
In their research, Dr. Gail Gross and Dr. Nekeshia Hammond found that affluent children often experience "wealth guilt" or embarrassment about privilege, sometimes going as far as lying to their peers just to fit in. Rich parents might want to share their lifestyle with everyone, but their children often crave normalcy and subtlety. They want to be seen for who they are, not the price tags their family carries.
2. Wearing over-the-top designer clothing
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Rich parents see designer labels as a point of accomplishment, even if they claim it's not a big deal to them. Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Versace sell different products depending on the customer's socioeconomic status. Rich people get access to inventory that normal everyday people don't. So, when wealthy people say that they have a custom Hermes Birkin bag, they really do mean it.
Teenagers with a strong sense of self are not as influenced by designer clothing or luxury items. When they're around their peers, they tend to want to keep things simple. This is especially true for wealthy children who hang around normal middle or lower-class people. Many of them want to fit in and express themselves authentically without the pressure of living up to flashy expectations.
3. Being loud about donating big money to their future school
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Wealthy parents do anything to get their children ahead, including donating a large sum of money to the school just to get them an edge. Some have even gone as far as to build halls and libraries in their names. To them, it's a proud monument of their legacy that their peers and teachers can view on their way to class, but to rich children, this could be excessive.
It can be rough to walk around a school with everyone knowing that your parents donated a whole building in their name. It raises debates over whether you got into school based on merit or simply because they ‘bribed’ the school to get you in. It's a tough spot to be in, especially if the campus is diverse with students from all types of economic backgrounds.
4. Driving ultra-luxury cars to drop-off
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Many wealthy parents take pride in the vehicles they drive, especially when they drop their children off at school. To them, it's a visible status symbol of their success and a way to show everyone on campus how hard they've worked. The sleek designs, powerful engines, and prestigious brand names all contribute to their sense of accomplishment.
However, their kids feel differently. Instead of pride, they feel shame and embarrassment when they have to arrive in a flashy car with several people staring at them. This can make them feel judged or singled out at school, especially if their peers are from different tax brackets.
5. Throwing extravagant birthday parties
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Every parent wants their child to feel special on their big day, but for wealthy parents, it's not just about the children; it's about them and their wealthy friends. Birthdays are an opportunity to network and conduct business arrangements. Lavish decorations, celebrity entertainers, and a guest list full of influential people from every sector gather to party, not necessarily to celebrate the child.
At these extravagant events, young adults are often left to party on their own without parental supervision. Whether they're in a mansion or on a yacht, teenagers will always find a way to get into trouble. Privileged teens report significantly higher rates of substance abuse and clinical symptoms of depression at up to two to three times the national average. This is mainly due to being given everything and having to work for nothing.
6. Showing off their connections
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Wealthy parents take pride in their wide network of influential friends and acquaintances. They might casually drop the names of celebrities, business moguls, or even politicians they know in conversations, hoping to impress others. To these parents, making friends means getting favors and opportunities to make even more money.
Their children might boast as well, but eventually, as they grow, this need for validation becomes stale. They will eventually feel as if everything they are able to get, like jobs and internships, was only given to them because of their parents' influence. This clash between parental pride and the child's desire for individuality leads to frustration and resentment.
7. Buying them anything they ask for
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Every parent will deal with the repercussions of their actions when they spoil their child rotten. We know that this causes entitlement and, in severe cases, narcissistic traits in children. For wealthy parents, in particular, it's not just about giving them what they ask for but allowing them to gain new skills that could possibly give the parents bragging rights.
Orestes Pat Hastings, a professor from Colorado State University, states that the discrepancy comes from an "arms race" where affluent families feel compelled to pour even more resources into giving their children a competitive edge. If a wealthy father pays for his son's boxing lessons, then maybe one day the son will become one of the top boxers in the world. Not because he enjoys seeing his son do something that he loves, but he can now claim him publicly. It's rather sad when you think about it.
8. Flaunting Ivy League expectations
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As much as everyone talks about legacy admissions into college, nobody has ever asked the children of the elite whether or not they actually wanted to go to the school that their own parents went to. Children from affluent families often experience higher levels of pressure to excel both academically and socially. This pressure can lead to adjustment problems, including anxiety and depression.
Parents flaunt Ivy League expectations as the ultimate achievement for boasting rights, more than actual education. Having schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton as your only choices is odd. It's a strange concept to continue to go to the same school that your parents went to and expect the same thing with your own children someday.
9. Over-sharing on social media
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Not everything needs to be shared on social media, but just like normal parents, wealthy people do it too. They are eager to show off their family's success, milestones, or luxury lifestyle. Even if their children find it just as embarrassing as normal children, they will still go out of their way to show the trip they took to Tuscany.
Rich children hate this because their social media is curated in a certain way, depending on what type of influencer they are. A wealthy teen whose aesthetic is thrifting for fun might get backlash if she is spotted wearing high-end fashion on a trip to Paris Fashion Week with her wealthy parents. She has to explain this catastrophe to her followers and everyone she goes to school with.
10. Talking about their kids success as their own achievements
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We've all heard of the term Nepo Baby, which refers to children born to famous people who only got their roles due to nepotism. There are a couple of successful Nepo babies in the industry that we've come to know and love for their own merit. Celebrities like Kate Hudson, Dakota Johnson, and John David Washington are extremely successful individuals who were able to separate from their famous parents. No one is going to fault Goldie Hawn, Melanie Griffin, and Denzel Washington if they want to celebrate their children's success stories.
Yet, affluent youth have excessive pressures often stemming from their parents' drive for them to follow high-status career paths. This leads them to having mental health and substance abuse issues when older. Those are just some of the ones who have found success and managed to avoid substance struggles, but there are many more who are not as lucky.
11. Controlling their career path to maintain their own status
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For wealthy people, maintaining status is everything to them. This is why the life of a rich kid is limited in certain aspects. Dating outside of their circles is rarely allowed, and choosing a career that their parents didn't pick for them is out of the question. Having a parent in a professional or executive position strongly shapes a child's major choices, especially when prestige and income are prioritized. Young adults who highly value financial success are more likely to pursue business or similarly high-status fields.
This can put a strain on the relationship between parent and child. Nobody can pretend forever, and their desire to do something different from their parents will eventually come out in other ways. This obviously though substance abuse or criminal activity. What wealthy parents see as a status preservation, their children often experience as a denial of individuality.
Sylvia Ojeda is an author who has over a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.
