I tend to plant myself firmly in the non-judgemental camp when it comes to how others parent their children–this goes for average families as well as celebrities. Unless you are putting your child or other people in harm's way or doing something that will ultimately jeopardize your child's mental and/or emotional well being, I say do your thing. However, when I learned about the extravagant $200,000 princess-themed first birthday soiree Beyonce and Jay-Z threw for their daughter Blue Ivy earlier this month, I had to wonder if such indulgence could actually be to the detriment of her perception of reality.
I suppose an $80,000 diamond Barbie doll and a $1,000,000 nursery at her father's place of work might be her reality, but what happens when she grows up and realizes that her parents could have donated that money to those less fortunate? Or even worse, what if she doesn't realize it or does and doesn't care?
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I can't even begin to imagine what they'll come up with for parties that she'll actually remember and honestly, that scares me even more. If this frivolous spending continues on–which I'm almost positive it will–I don't even want to think about what type of teenager little Blue will turn into.
Of course, we all want our children to have the best of what we can afford, but when your budget has no boundaries, perhaps you should try to find a balance between luxury and modesty in order teach them a valuable lesson? That you must put in the work to reap the benefits. My only hope is that someone is around to teach her that life isn't all glitter and gold–to respect her parents' hard work and to recognize the needs of the world she lives in.
All that being said, I can't say I'd have refused an invitation or that if I was filthy rich I would have the self control to behave more humbly–I think I would, but I don't know.
Image via Grosby
