That is one reason why I would hesitate to enroll DS/DD in a private middle school next year because they would be exposed to some extremely indulged children simply because their parents can afford it.
hey Quantum... just another thought on the private school issue. last year DD5 attended a very-hard-for-us-to-afford private school, and i, too, was very conscious of this eventuality. but as it turned out, i think it did DD a lot of good to be in a place where everyone had more money than us. the contrast between our family and the others was pretty extreme - and there were a lot of frankly mind-bending playdates, but all of this had a real silver lining: it opened a door to talk with DD explicitly about our choices: she fully understood that we were choosing to invest in school ahead of other things.
the school itself didn't actually work out for her, but we did have an amazing series of conversations about money/priorities/wealth distribution, and our points continue to be well taken. i can see it in the way she manages her allowance, and in the way she talks about
wants vs.
needs - modest requests at gift-giving occasions are usually entertained, but not always fulfilled, so i think she knows what's reasonable. she is still so young, but it's all quite encouraging.
