In this holiday shopping season I can't help but reflect on how things have changed since I was a child. My own parents were hopelessly bourgeois, all hung up on the notion of living within one's means. Horses took a back seat to that old hackneyed phrase, "saving for college." As a horse-crazy kid it totally sucked.
Thank heavens things are different now. I mean, I've seen the Housewives of Orange County. The hip, cool moms have the decency to "feel inadequate" when they can't support their kids' expensive tastes. The modern parents know how to make it happen, by hook or by crook. In the Sacramento Bee article, it would seem that at least one parent did it "by crook." Read on....
clipped from www.sacbee.comConvicted embezzler says obsession with horses fueled her crimes
Regina Schenck became obsessed with horses, she wrote to the federal judge who would sentence her for stealing more than $1.3 million from a prominent Sacramento law firm.
She had been told her eldest daughter "had a natural gift and could be an Olympic-caliber rider," but Schenck didn't have money to pay a trainer. She felt inadequate as a parent....
"As I took more money to supply my horse addiction, it never seemed to be enough. In my mind there was always that horse that would repay what I took, and then I was in so deep, I couldn't figure out how to stop the madness."
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Time Magazine just ran an article about parents both over-indulging and over-protecting their children. This case goes to the extreme, but it certainly illustrates the point.
ReplyDeleteBet most of us are better off for having to earn our horse addictions. Makes us much more honestly dedicated to the adventure.
Where was she when I was looking for new parents that would buy me my pony?
ReplyDeletelol! Now that's a sad addiction!!
ReplyDeleteThose kids better be grateful! I know I am!
ReplyDeleteEldest is constantly running up against the "no, we can't afford to buy and keep a horse at this moment" mantra. She does get private lessons and maybe we'll do a part-lease, but this mama's not crazy enough to embezzle or even go into debt for the horsey habit. Sadly!
ReplyDeleteI begin to wonder about the kids who hit FEI at a young age.
ReplyDeleteWow. That was an intersting article in Time, Jean.
ReplyDeleteAnd how sad that parents can get so far off.
I feel for them all.
Around here we have tearn our horse lifestyle and I know it makes us all more appreciative!
It's too bad she got busted - well, I guess I'm too old to be adopted anyway!
ReplyDeleteI guess there are worse addictions to have....though I do agree with Jean, better to earn them.
very interesting, I've encountered couple of young teens who get anything they want (not only in terms of horses) and they just don't seem to appreciate it, don't treat their horses/ponies with the respect and admiration they deserve...i believe that earning the horse lifestyle instead of being given anything you want, makes for better horsepeople...
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