Parents of Nepo Babies: Are You THAT Bad?

1) I am not a Nepo Baby. And 2) I know you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

So, I am clueless if parents of Nepo Babies merit the harsh punishment or embittered portrayal sometimes heaped on them by offspring. 

Nick Reiner is accused of murdering his entertainment sector parents. Brooklyn Beckham claims mum and dad attempted to taint his name. And last year Molly Jong-Fast gave us the details of her mother Erica Jong's lifestyle and dementia that perhaps even her critics found to be disclosed in bad taste. That's in the memoir "How To Lose Your Mother." Maybe it's all the dirt in the book and/or maybe it's well-written, but it continues to rank high on Amazon - 32,003.

Those in the Westport, Connecticut region (where I attended a support group) likely are aware that Erica had a drinking problem. But what purpose was served to find out how, like a baby, she hung out in bed sucking on the bottle? There she lay, disconnected from her fat daughter who got kicked out of Dalton. Could this be self-hate? Molly herself went into rehab for alcohol abuse. 

In addition, there was the matter of the poop. A number of times in a number of ways Molly indicates she became aware of her mother's dementia when she spotted a turd in her mother's bed. That image already might have become sticky whenever we reach back in time to Erica's famous book "Fear of Flying." Could that masterpiece have taken a hit in our collective memory bank, especially among females who experienced sexual liberation?

But to Molly, Erica's worst failing was:

"My mother never got over being famous ... For the addictive personality, the junkie-itch from coming off celebrity can never ever be cured."

Where is the very human empathy? Likely retired Disney CEO Bob Iger will never say goodbye. One-time American folk hero Lee Iacocca tried to claw his way back into Chrysler, alienating the auto industry. After the Beatles broke up, Paul McCartney went into a clinical depression. Will Barack Obama be able to handle the influence of the emerging New York City Democratic Socialists?

Of course, there are Nepo Babies who seem to have gone on to a resentment-free productive adulthood. Celebrity lawyers Clarence Darrow (Darrow, Sissman) John Tarantino (Adler) and Brad Karp (Paul, Weiss) all launched successful lawyer offspring. So far there hasn't been an embittered peep out of them, at least not in public.

In my coaching I steer clients clear of laments about the supposed edge of Nepo Babies: You don't know what could go on there.

Career Paths? So Over. It’s about Earning a Good Living. No matter what.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Street-smart Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.



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