Why I'm telling my daughter to marry RICH: Some might call me anti-feminist, but I wish MY mother had instilled in me how crucial money and status are in a partner... Anyone who says wealth can't buy happiness is kidding themselves!

A stately location group successful acres of grounds, a pristine achromatic VW Beetle — electric, of people — connected nan long, gravel thrust and a wardrobe bursting pinch designer clothes, shoes, handbags. As for nan preferred prime of pet: a battalion of Saint Berdoodle dogs (yes, that's a transverse betwixt a Saint Bernard and a Poodle).

There'll besides beryllium regular overseas holidays: Lapland astatine Christmas, Florida successful nan summer. Oh, and a 2nd location successful nan mountains for skiing, naturally.

My 17-year-old daughter, Lara, has her early mapped retired pinch laser-like precision. She moreover has a Pinterest account, wherever she keeps 'vision boards' of wherever she will wed (the upmarket spa edifice Luton Hoo is nan existent favourite). She has besides decided nan names of nan 2 children she plans to person (though won't stock them pinch me).

And while she mightiness not cognize her early husband's identity, she's definite of 1 thing: nan size of his slope balance.

Lara is unabashed astir her desire to wed a rich | man. And, acold from bristling astatine what immoderate mightiness see a depressingly retrograde goal, I americium correct down her.

Don't get maine wrong, I'm not telling her to beryllium backmost and hide astir her education. She attends a backstage schoolhouse and past twelvemonth achieved consecutive As and A*s successful her GCSEs.

She has her sights group connected Oxbridge and would for illustration to study classics earlier converting to law. She past plans to activity for 1 of nan 'magic circle' London rule firms.

Admittedly, her reasoning for moving towards world occurrence is that she believes specified institutions will thief her execute nan eventual purpose — gathering a like-minded, uber-wealthy man. She goes truthful acold arsenic to opportunity she'd for illustration to wed nan boss. Some mightiness recoil but why not purpose high? I support her 100 per cent.

What mother doesn't want nan very champion for her daughter? Whoever says 'money can't bargain happiness' is kidding themselves. It bloody good can!

We show ourselves these frankly outdated tales to warrant wherever we're astatine successful life. Of people you tin person money and love. If only because money intends you really tin actively take to bargain nan things that make you happy. I've sewage friends who are highly able and are successful agelong and happy marriages; and I besides cognize group who unrecorded successful assembly flats who aren't happy.

It ne'er occurred to maine that mothers would snipe complete specified aspirations for their daughters. Yet erstwhile a caller station connected a parenting forum posed nan question, 'Be honest! Has anyone ever group retired to wed a rich | man and/or encouraged their daughters to do it?' it caused uproar.

Commentators connected nan thread said everything from 'Marry a rich | man and you'll gain each penny' to 'Would I pimp my girl retired to an older rich | man? That's a nary from me.'

They opportunity that surely women person moved connected since nan days of Mrs Bennet successful Pride And Prejudice. But conscionable because a female has a bully profession of her ain doesn't mean she wants to 'marry down'.

Lara is clever and ambitious, but I don't want her to beryllium nan breadwinner — tin you imagine? I'd beryllium horrified if she was picking up nan slack (not to mention nan tab) for a beta antheral pinch debased expectations successful life.

Even £50,000 a twelvemonth wouldn't trim nan mustard. In an perfect world, astatine his prime, her hubby would gain a six-figure net — obviously! We unrecorded successful costly times and you've sewage to support up.

But successful each seriousness, nan existent costs of surviving situation has focused everyone's minds connected conscionable really overmuch harder it is to bargain a bully house, tally a car and raise your ain family.

People mightiness deliberation maine anti-feminist and opportunity I'm doing Lara a disservice by encouraging this benignant of attitude. But I genuinely wish my mother had impressed upon maine nan value of money and position erstwhile I was Lara's age.

I had a normal middle-class upbringing successful Hertfordshire. My dada was a surveyor and mum stayed astatine location to look aft maine and my sister. We went to nan section authorities broad school, and I was 19 erstwhile I had my first superior boyfriend, who was a musician. (Sadly, he died years later of a supplier overdose aged 40.)

He was 1 successful a statement of very undesirable boyfriends. That's why I'm gladsome Lara isn't for illustration me.

I made nan correction of falling into my first matrimony pinch my bosom and not my head. My ex-husband had perfectly nary net to speak of erstwhile we met successful 2004.

I was 30 and somewhat dazzled by nan truth he lived successful nan U.S. Within a year, he'd moved to nan UK to unrecorded pinch maine and I was soon pregnant pinch Lara.

That's erstwhile nan difficult activity really started. I recovered myself moving 3 jobs (in commercialized lettings, astatine Marks & Spencer successful nan evening and I also, somehow, fitted successful immoderate activity successful John Lewis merchandising).

Unsurprisingly, I was exhausted passim nan gestation — and nan atrocious greeting sickness I knowledgeable didn't help.

My past hubby managed to get a occupation successful a storage for a awesome retailer. We were hardly upwardly mobile.

That said, having ever had a beardown activity ethic, I had a beautiful decent nest egg, which meant that erstwhile Lara was calved I could return a fewer years disconnected earlier returning to nan spot world. I had climbed connected to nan spot ladder successful my early 20s truthful was already connected my 3rd home: a four-bedroom townhouse successful St Albans.

Fast guardant to coming and I person a level successful Dubai, arsenic good arsenic a mates of different properties I rent retired successful nan UK.

Having divided my ex successful 2008 erstwhile Lara was two, I now unrecorded successful a beautiful four-bedroom location successful Hertfordshire pinch Lara, my 2nd husband, Nicholas, 64, a sports broadcaster, and our son, Zack, now eight.

People often presume that because Nicholas useful successful television, we're rolling successful it, but that isn't nan case. He's now freelance and location are nary guarantees from 1 time to nan adjacent successful nan fickle world of entertainment.

We were paying £15,000 a twelvemonth successful schoolhouse fees for Lara until Nicholas was abruptly made redundant successful 2015. When I explained I'd request to return her retired of school, because we could nary longer spend it, she was offered a scholarship. If they hadn't, I'd person stopped going connected holidays, gone to fund supermarkets, bought apparel successful kindness shops, fundamentally I'd person scrimped and saved to support her location pinch nan very aforesaid peers who I conscionable cognize will unfastened each sorts of doors for her successful later life.

Research consistently shows that to get up successful life, nan aged adage 'it's not what you cognize — it's who you know' still counts. Only this week a study revealed that conscionable nether a 3rd of young labor secured their jobs done a individual connection. The backstage schoolhouse fees mightiness beryllium a agelong for us, but Lara's already successful bully institution — 1 of her friends is nan girl of a Manchester United shot player.

Lara has been boarding since nan property of 16 and is doing incredibly good academically.

I push some my children to do well. 'Strive to beryllium nan best' is simply a beautiful bully motto to unrecorded by. That's why I'm fussy astir nan benignant of money Lara marries into, too. I'd beryllium worried astir personification who hadn't lifted a master digit successful his life, preferring to unrecorded disconnected a spot fund. Where's nan ambition? I want her to beryllium successful and beryllium pinch personification who is nan champion they tin beryllium too.

It was aft watching Legally Blonde astatine nan property of 12 that Lara first announced her desire to wed money. Yes she was inspired by nan Reese Witherspoon character, who proves everyone incorrect by becoming a successful lawyer, and Lara does want a superb profession of her own. But she besides wants a able husband.

Money will springiness my girl not only a comfortable life but choices, too. If, erstwhile she has children, she wants to enactment astatine location pinch them, past she can. Likewise, if she wants to return to nan agency pronto, past decent childcare won't beryllium an rumor for my grandchildren.

She plans to found her profession first and person a family successful her 30s.

Lara is conscionable starting to date. We're some successful statement astir nary tattoos aliases piercings. Such visible markings are a full obstruction to a decent life and nan opportunities that travel your way.

Besides, Lara is truthful guiltless she's only conscionable had her ears pierced.

I precocious asked astir whether location were immoderate superior boyfriends connected nan horizon. Things tin alteration truthful quickly pinch teenagers.

I sewage nan accustomed grown-up consequence from my girl telling me: 'No mum. School is my priority, boyfriends decidedly aren't.' She went connected a day past month, and I warned her not to buss nan boy unless she was judge they'd spot 1 different again. Your first buss is nan 1 you retrieve for ever.

I didn't person to worry. Lara told maine he had nary aspiration and he made nan fatal faux pas of announcing that Latin nine was stupid.

Lara surely doesn't request my thief successful selecting nan correct dates. I'm assured she has her caput screwed connected successful that regard.

I'm happy for her to measurement up a societal class. There's nary shame successful being upwardly mobile. Whatever nan naysayers claim, money really does make nan world spell round.

As told to Samantha Brick.