Money Expert Shares The Two Most Psychologically Damaging Things People Tell Their Kids That 'Rich People' Would Never Say
She believes that the most psychologically damaging thing you could do is raise your kids to be humble adults.
TikTok A woman has recently gone viral for a video posted on TikTok where she shares what she believes are the two most psychologically damaging things rich people could ever tell their kids.
Loral Langemeier is an author of self-help books focused on all things financial — she’s a self-proclaimed money expert and calls herself the “millionaire maker.”
She said rich people never tell their kids they can’t afford it or not to ask for anything.
“The worst language that you could ever have that rich people never ever, ever tell their kids, is we can’t afford it,” she starts off her video, “because you can afford anything you want.”
“You have to have the mindset and the psychology of affording anything you want,” she claims. “Don’t ever tell them that you can’t afford it, that they can’t afford it, and don’t ever say — when you walk into a store — ‘don’t ask for anything.’”
She’s not exactly a licensed psychologist so it’s worth taking this advice with a grain of salt, but it does sound very “self-help,” which seems to be exactly what she’s going for. Someone in the comments joked, “Exactly, RICH PEOPLE. If you are not rich your kids must know the reality of your situation.”
Langemeier doubles down explaining that “Those two things are the most damaging psychological statements you could do to your kids.”
Really? Those are the worst things you could say to your kids? The most psychologically damaging? Imagining we live outside of this gold-plated bubble that Langemeier has created for herself, do we really think that buying everything for your kids is a good idea? If anything, “yes” would be the most psychologically damaging thing you could say to your kids here.
You should not be giving your child everything they want.
Unwritten parenting rules have forbidden parents from one thing, and that’s giving their children everything they want, and I’m sure you could guess why — who wants to raise spoiled children?
“If children get everything they want, then they don’t have the opportunity to experience frustration,” writes psychologist María Alejandra Castro Arbeláez for You Are Mom. “These children end up believing that their parents have to obey their every demand, simply because they’re their parents.”
It isn’t just about frustration, however, emotional regulation for emotions like disappointment, sadness, longing, or even controlling desires are all important developments for children to make. If they never hear no, they’re going to keep asking for more because they know they’ll be told “yes.”
“My kids know their needs are always met but sometimes we don’t get what we want and that’s a reality of life,” one parent wrote in the comments, and that’s an important lesson that should be imparted to kids. Money-making aside, there are far worse things you could do or say to psychologically damage your kids, including raising them into spoiled and entitled adults.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.