Yes, you can be born into richness, and be poor kids!
Just finished reading a bio of Rockefeller, excerpts:
On Sat. mornings, stomachs aflutter, John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s children filed one by one into Junior's study and had their account books scrutinized. Although they rec'd only a 30-cent allowance-much less than their friends-they had to account for every penny of their allowance. They were fined a nickel for omissions and awarded a nickel for scrupulous record keeping. They were expected to spend 1/3rd of their measly allowance, save a third and donate a third to charity.
The were oftentimes dressed in old clothes and were denied ordinary trips to theaters or the movies until they were in their teens.
At Jr.'s mansions in Pocantico or Seal Harbor, they made extra money by killing flies (10-cents per hundred), buffing shoes, working in the garden or trapping mice in the attic (5-cents per mouse). The 6 children were taught to garden, sew, and cook. Once a week they had to prepare the dinner together and were encouraged to master hand tools. Each studied a different musical instrument, with one evening per week given to hymn singing.
Even family vacations became tutorials in personal responsibility, with one son assigned to buy railroad tickets, another to run errands, a third to handle baggage, a forth to book hotel rooms, a fifth to shine the shoes, and so on.
Junior wanted to saturate the children with sermons and religious tracks. Each morning, at 7:30 am, even with guests present, the butler circulated a stack of Bibles on a silver tray. Junior read a portion of scripture and asked others to read aloud before they touched their breakfast.
This was back in the 1910's, so you must use a multiplier of, at least, 10 for today's currency!
And how many kids today would put up with this regimen, and being painfully aware your parents were millionaires?
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