"The 30000 Bequest" Blog Post Two

After reading "The 30000 Bequest" I couldn't help but be reminded of a summer camp that I've worked at for many many summers. Twain focuses on the destruction of his characters because of wealth, and many of my campers suffer from this same predicament. I feel like it is a common misconception to think that only poor people suffer from issues surrounding money and a lack of basic life necessities. However, after a summer at camp, I found that children who have grown up with extreme amounts of wealth can also suffer from this same plight. Although I only had eight, 16 year old girls in my "camper section," I worked directly with campers ranging from ages 10 to 18. Most of the campers come from EXTREMELY wealthy backgrounds and were all suffering because of their lack of family life and guidance. Many of my girls we're dealing with parents who have shipped them to camp after camp as well as boarding school and were raised by nannies who have done everything from bottle feeding them to cleaning their rooms for their entire lives. Many of my campers have never had someone tell them that they loved them and I found that most of the kids were just living a very disconnected life. This is not to say that money is the root of all evil, or that there were some campers who had thrived off of living such a luxurious life; however, I found it so interesting that even though the families of the campers literally could have everything they've ever wanted they lacked any moral compass and most of the campers suffered from a desperate need for attention. Many of the younger girls have never even been taught how to pick out their own clothes because they have had someone do it for them, and many of the campers were unable to even make a bed or take a proper shower. In relation the "The 30000 Bequest" I found working at this camp not only extremely fascinating, but also devastating. Like the Foster family, many of the families that ship their kids off to the camp that I work at also are unable to grasp some of the basic necessities of life and live far from reality.

**Please notice this kids shirt...