We might think that children of celebrities get everything they want handed to them on a plate, which leads to strange little creatures like Jaden Smith, however I recently saw that President Obama is making his eldest daughter Sasha work in a fish restaurant over summer, which shows there’s no escaping the daily grind, even if your Dad is the most powerful man on the planet. This got me thinking about other celebrities who have made their children work and so I thought I would discuss this and why I think it’s a wonderful thing.
David Beckham – I’m not saying that Brooklyn Beckham has been deprived as a child, because he hasn’t. His parents are one of the world’s biggest power couples and he has had everything he has very wanted growing up from massive mansions to the latest fashions. His parents love him and that is why when he became a teenager and asked them for a new pair of shoes his Dad’s response was ‘if you want them you go out and earn them’ and so when Becks was playing for Paris St Germaine, Brooklyn got a job at a nearby restaurant, sweeping floors and doing the dishes so that he could make enough for a new set of trainers. Wonderful stuff.
Sting – Sting actually made headlines when he said that his kids wouldn’t get any of his many millions when he died as he will have spent it all … and he wasn’t joking. As with many celebs that came from working/lower middle class background, they want their kids to have the same values and work ethic as they did as you don’t become a talented celebrity without it (those TOWIE and Geordie Shore idiots don’t count as they are just celebrities for celebrity’s sake). So Sting actually doesn’t give his kids anything and they have to work for it. He’s said he would help them if they were struggling and I’m assuming he buys them cool stuff and takes them on nice holidays, but it’s a good thing to do, why should everyone else have to work when his kids can just spend Daddy’s money. Who are they, Bruce Wayne?
Bill Gates – This one must really sting if you’re one of Bill Gates’ kids, although I doubt they have to get jobs gardening or cleaning up the floors at a dog groomers, but still it looks like they are going to have to get money some other way as old Bill has said that when he dies the vast majority of his $78.6 billion is going straight to charity and although I assume his kids will get a nice amount, they’re still going to work for it in the meantime, which make sense considering how Mr Gates toiled away in his parents garage after dropping out of school to build the first Microsoft computer.
Simon Cowell – Simon’s kid isn’t even 2 years old year and already he’s not going to see a penny of his Dad’s $500 million. Like Bill Gates, Simon is actually going to pass his money onto charities, but for Simon it will be charities that benefit kids and dogs, so at least his son can rest easy in the knowledge that other people’s kids and a Poodle who has no concept of money get to spend his millions.Simon has said he doesn’t believe in passing down money to other generations, which makes sense as he had to work his way up from nothing to the music Godfather that he is today.
The Future – Money doesn’t buy values, and this wave of instant celebrity is a passing fad and what’s sad is that it won’t lead to fulfilment or happiness for anyone seeking this kind of fame and I think it’s wonderful that some celebrities are trying to instil actual value into their children’s lives … otherwise we get things like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton. As I mentioned, many celebrities themselves had to work their way up to their fame and fortune, for example Peter Kay worked as a caller for bingo games, Brad Pitt delivered refrigerators, Kanye West folded clothing at a local GAP store and Johnny Depp sold pens for a living. Their experiences made them who they are today and they wouldn’t be the famous superstars without these prior experiences, and luckily for us some celebrities are making their kids stand on their own two feet, which leads to talented stars like Stella McCartney, Rashida Jones, and Ben Stiller, whose famous parents made them into the successful people that they are today.
