You ever meet someone who’s lived a life so different from yours, it feels like they grew up on another planet? That’s how it is with people raised by wealthy parents. The stuff they do—sometimes it’s baffling, sometimes it’s a little sad, and sometimes it’s just so out of left field you can’t help but laugh.
This isn’t about judging. It’s about noticing the wild, quiet ways money shapes the world you think is normal. Look, privilege doesn’t make you immune to pain or confusion. In fact, some of these things are rooted in real, hard-to-explain loneliness.
But if you’ve ever wondered why your friend can’t use a washing machine, or why they think a trip to Bali is as casual as a run to Target—here are eighteen moments that show just how much growing up with money can warp your sense of what’s actually “normal.”
1. Ordering Delivery for Every Meal
Ever met someone who treats their kitchen like a decorative prop? That’s the vibe here. For some people raised with money, takeout isn’t a treat—it’s the default.
They grew up thinking delivery was just what you do. Schedules got busy, parents ordered sushi on a Tuesday, nobody blinked. Cooking at home? Maybe for a Pinterest photo, but not for actual dinner.
I remember my roommate in college acted personally offended by the idea of meal prepping. She’d ask, “Why would I do that when there’s DoorDash?” It wasn’t laziness; it was learned behavior. Ordering in was as routine as brushing her teeth. It took her years to realize most people can’t afford that, and by then, it was almost too late to relearn.
2. Never Having Done Laundry Alone
Picture this: a college freshman frozen in front of the washing machine, like it’s a locked safe. Some kids with money just never had to do laundry at home—there was always someone else for that.
I knew a girl who called her mom the first time she tried laundry. She FaceTimed and asked, “Is the blue pod for colors or whites?” It wasn’t snobbery. She just never learned.
When you grow up with help at home, practical skills sometimes slip through the cracks. It’s not only laundry. It’s never having to iron, never sewing on a button, never wondering how towels actually get clean. What’s weird for some is just normal to them until life forces a wake-up call.
3. Thinking Private Jets Are Normal
Imagine being surprised that people fly commercial. For some, airports are just a place to skip. Private jets are standard—a family’s idea of road tripping.
They genuinely think everyone hated airports because “it’s just full of lines and waiting.” Turns out, for them, travel was door-to-door. No TSA, no terminals, just a car to the plane.
They are the people who ask if you want to “grab a jet” to Vegas for the weekend. I bet your face says it all: that’s not how the rest of us roll. When your childhood vacations are aboard a private jet, airports seem like a strange, uncomfortable ritual for “other people.” That gap never really goes away.
4. Owning a Vacation Home They Never Visit
Is there anything weirder than having a gorgeous home you don’t even live in? I once dated a guy who “forgot” about his parents’ place in Aspen. It was just a name on a keychain.
He’d say, “We should go sometime,” but never did. Sometimes these places get rented out, sometimes they just sit, waiting for a holiday that never comes.
For people who grew up wealthy, a vacation home isn’t wild—it’s a routine asset. But when you hear about it, it feels like a fable. Most people dream of buying one home. Some folks have two or three and get bored of them all. It’s surreal and, honestly, a bit lonely to imagine.
5. Assuming Everyone Has a Nanny (Even as Teens)
A lot of kids grow up with nannies, but for some, it doesn’t stop at elementary school. There was a girl in my high school who still had a full-time nanny—she called her “my second mom.”
She couldn’t believe other kids get themselves to school alone. Nannies drove her, packed her lunch, even checked her homework. The weirdest thing: she didn’t see it as extra, just regular life. Her friends teased her, but she didn’t mind.
There’s comfort in it, sure, but also a kind of dependence. It leaves these kids unprepared when they finally have to handle things solo. You don’t realize how much a safety net shapes your world until it’s gone.
6. Doing Extracurriculars Like It’s a Full-Time Job
Have you ever seen a kid’s calendar packed tighter than yours at work? Private tennis lessons, piano recitals, equestrian training, maybe a robotics club for good measure.
Their parents believe in “well-roundedness”—but it’s more like a competitive sport. These kids sprint from one activity to another, each one another badge for college apps.
I asked a friend if she ever just watched TV after school. She looked at me like I was speaking French. For her, downtime meant “falling behind.” It’s intense, and honestly? A little exhausting to watch.
7. Expecting Housekeepers to Handle Everything
There’s a specific kind of awkwardness when you visit a friend and realize they don’t know how to make a bed. Or wash a dish. Housekeepers did it all.
Think of this: someone drops crumbs on the floor and keeps talking, as if they expect them to be cleaned up automatically. It’s not out of rudeness—just a habit of having things taken care of.
It’s not about being spoiled; it’s about living in a world where messes disappear, tasks vanish, and you barely notice the effort behind it. When real life hits, that first solo apartment is a shock. No one’s coming to pick up your trail.
8. Referring to Europe Like It’s a Neighborhood
“I’ll be in Paris next week, then probably Zurich after, maybe Rome if I’m bored.” These words come out of their people’s mouth like they’re talking about running errands.
To some people raised with money, Europe isn’t a dream trip; it’s just another option, like choosing where to order coffee. They talk about cities the way most of us talk about neighborhoods.
Sometimes you want to shake them—do they know how wild that sounds? But for them, expensive flights, hotels, and dinners are background noise. It’s not arrogance, just a different set of coordinates for “normal.”
9. Never Checking Prices Before Buying
For some, shopping is about weighing choices. For others, it’s picking what you like and handing over a card. I remember a friend picking out sunglasses—$400, easy. She didn’t check the tag, didn’t flinch at the total.
I realized: she’d never learned sticker shock. She didn’t worry about budgets or sales. If she wanted it, she bought it.
When I told her I wait for deals, she said, “Deals on what?” It wasn’t condescension; it was confusion. The idea of restraint, of not just getting the thing you want, was totally foreign to her.
10. Having a Family Financial Advisor
Most people figure out money the hard way—through mistakes, overdraft fees, and the occasional panic attack.
But some kids grow up with a family financial advisor, a guy who manages investments and plans for the future. They have meetings about stocks before they can drive. They don’t know what an ATM fee is until college.
Financial security is more than having money—it’s having someone whose job is to protect it. The weird part? They might trust strangers with their life savings before ever buying their own groceries.
11. Replacing Everything Instead of Repairing
Why fix a broken zipper when you can buy a new bag? These people never tinker with things. If it breaks, you replace it. Simple as that.
It seems wasteful to others, but for them, it’s just practical—the way things have always been handled. No hesitation, no second thought.
This habit follows them everywhere. Broken dish? Gone. Shoes scuffed? Out. They don’t mean to be careless—it just never crosses their mind to repair what you can easily swap for new. It’s a different kind of logic.
12. Celebrating Birthdays with Over-the-Top Parties
Some birthdays are about cake and pizza. Others are full-on productions—live bands, photo booths, horse-drawn carriages. I went to a Sweet 16 where the family rented out a yacht.
These parties aren’t one-offs; they’re annual expectations. You grow up thinking every birthday deserves a theme and a guest list longer than your school’s graduation roster.
Afterward, regular birthdays feel small. There’s a pressure to keep topping the last one, a weird sense of competition even when nobody cares. It’s fun, but exhausting. And honestly? Sometimes I miss just blowing out candles in a kitchen.
13. Assuming Private Clubs Are Open to Everyone
Golf courses, yacht clubs, and members-only lounges—some people never question their access. I once got confused looks when I said I couldn’t join my friend for brunch at her club.
She thought everyone had a membership somewhere. These clubs are where deals happen, friends are made, and summers are spent.
But for most people, clubs are for “other people.” The idea that some doors stay closed, no matter how hard you knock? That’s hard to explain to someone who’s always had a key.
14. Viewing Renovations as a Hobby
Some people collect stamps. Others collect renovations. There’s a certain thrill in tweaking, updating, and improving homes—even before the old fixtures wear out.
Some redo their kitchen every two years, like it was a haircut. They host parties to show off the new countertops, barely mentioning the cost.
It’s not about necessity—it’s about the pleasure of change. For them, renovation is creative expression. For others, it’s a stressful, once-in-a-lifetime ordeal. The difference is wild, and sometimes a bit envy-inducing.
15. Using Personal Shoppers for Everyday Purchases
Personal shoppers used to sound like something reserved for movie stars. But some people use them for basics—work clothes, even groceries. They send a list, and someone else handles the details.
It frees them up for “more important” things, as they say. Outsourcing errands isn’t indulgence in their world—it’s efficiency.
Personal shoppers aren’t luxury to them; they’re just routine. It’s about convenience, not showing off. Still, it’s wild watching someone pick out outfits without lifting a finger. Efficiency taken to a whole new level.
16. Having a Family Crest or Motto
Family crests—real ones, with Latin mottos and gilded frames—aren’t just for royal weddings. Some people have family motto engraved above their fireplace.
It sounds impressive but also kind of strange—a tradition out of another century.
This isn’t cosplay. It is legacy. You grow up feeling like you’re part of something old and unbreakable. To outsiders, it’s dramatic. To them, it was just home.
17. Treating “Networking” as a Family Value
Where some families teach you to ride a bike, others teach you to “network.” I met someone whose dad quizzed her on business cards and handshake etiquette before she hit puberty.
She learned to schmooze before she had a curfew. By college, she had a LinkedIn more impressive than most resumes.
Networking was like a family sport. There was no shame in using connections, just strategy. To me, it always felt a little forced, but to her, it was survival. Social capital was currency, and she spent it well.
18. Having a “Gap Year” as an Expectation
Some people hustle straight from high school to work or college. Others have “gap years”—plural, even. It’s seen as a rite of passage, not a luxury.
I met a girl who spent a year in Italy “finding herself.” Her parents encouraged it, paid for it, and expected stories when she got home.
A gap year meant growth, not falling behind. And while it sounds dreamy, there’s pressure, too—make your year count, prove you learned something. For most, time off feels risky. But for her, it was as common as orientation day.