Never mind the toast.
Paris Hilton has people to open her mail. I’m not saying she can’t actually do it herself, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
If my husband finds we’re out of bread, he will first say “there’s no toast” and stare glumly at the toaster. I’ll say “put it on the list” and then he’ll write “toast.” Not “bread.” Like you can buy “toast.” ROFL!
I imagine they will have to keep their rooms tidy and pick up after themselves, and occasionally help cook a dinner in some small ‘family’ kitchen in the residence, and clean up after.
They will never learn to grocery shop or use a laundromat, though.
Looks like the Obama kids will: News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com
Me too. He drove home from San Diego to Beverly Hills every couple of weeks to get his laundry done. I taught him how to make a bed.
I’m sure that the Obama children are well behaved in school and do all their homework in-full and on time, but I’m trying to picture the scene if they were not. Can you see a grade school teacher telling the President that little Sasha was guilty of passing notes in class and not handing in her spelling homework?
Tonight ABC will have a Barbara Walters exclusive interview with Barack and Michelle Obama. I watched the preview. Apparently, the kids have to make their own beds!
I knew a guy in college that was also very wealthy. On the otherhand, he didn’t inherit any money until he turned 21 and learned to live with us normies quite well. He worked hard and drove a crappy car. Mind you, he was never short on cash from what I remermber, but he was quite modest in his style. If you want your family to stay wealthy, don’t teach your kids to be leaches.
That’s allright, I still haven’t figured out how to change a toilet paper roll. It’s much easier to get out a new roll and unroll it by hand.
I teach a lot of wealthy kids, and I have to say that for every one I’ve seen turned into a spoiled brat, I’ve seen another that really made the most of their opportunities. The “rotten example of humanity” quota is really pretty consistent across the SES spectrum, IME.
A little stingy if you ask me, especially for a president’s family. But then again, at least he isn’t doing a lot of unnecessary government spending during these economically turbulent times. 
(notwithstanding the fact that the vast majority of his wealth comes from his book sales and not his government salary)
From what I remember of the rather excellent book Upstairs at the White House, the White House has it’s own staff to maintain the building, help with state dinners, etc. But the president is expected to bring along and pay for any personal staff- such as private chefs, personal maids, etc. So in the private living quarters things will probably not change too much for the Obama’s.
This can cause tension because the White House staff has a relatively well paid and secure job with good benefits, while the personal staff (who has often been with the family for years) usually gets market rates and is employed at the whim of the family.
It’s also worth pointing out that the White House personal quarters are not particularly large or lavish (especially compared with most other heads of state). It’s not like they are suddenly moving into the lap of extreme luxury. I doubt there is much that goes on there (besides the extreme security) that doesn’t happen in any other very wealthy household.
I’ve got to say, I love the idea of Malia doing her homework at the Lincoln Desk. Inspiring, indeed!
There was a long, long tradition of the (girl) children of wealthy families learning how to do all the chores, because they needed to know how everything about the household worked so that they would be prepared to train future servants. There was a high expectation that the lady of the house would know how to do every task, and would excel at it (even to the point where some special things, such as heirloom china, would be washed and cared for by the wealthy lady of the house because the maid(s) couldn’t be trusted with it).
The trend of a wealthy girl not knowing how to do basic household tasks is relatively new, mid-20th century. Of course, that’s also around the time when male/female roles within a household were changing … so the boys of wealthy families wouldn’t have known how to do most of these things back then, either.
I really do, too. Malia and Sasha are my daughter’s first real heroes (non-animated, that is), and I couldn’t be more pleased. While her wish to go to the White House and play with Malia and Sasha probably won’t be fulfilled, at least she’s not fixated on Britney Spears or Hannah Montana. I can’t wait to share with her that Malia and Sasha help out around the house and Malia is planning out where to do her homework! We can totally make this work in our favor.
Great link! But I wonder about this:
Perhaps “lavatory” doesn’t mean what I think it means. Either that or “bathroom” doesn’t mean what I think it means.
It could be 6 rooms with bathtubs/showers and WC and 1 with just a WC?
A lavatory just has a toilet and a sink. A bathroom has a toilet, a sink and either a bathtub or shower.
Usually (in real estate listings and the like), a room with just a toilet and sink is referred to as a “half-bath”.
Some years ago, I was a telemarketer for a dating service; the phone room manager was from a wealthy upbringing. One night, she decided to throw a party for all of her telemarketers. In addition to asking us all what we liked to drink, she went on and on about how “fun” it was to clean and scrub and vacuum her apartment all by herself.
So, I dunno about the White House Kids, but I do know this particular wealthy kid didn’t really know how to “do” anything when she got her own place, but thought it was a blast!