Real Housewives of O.C.

I have to admit that I've been watching the new reality series, The Real Housewives of Orange County. It's about 5 women (and their families) that live in a gated community, Coto de Caza, in Orange County. Actually, one of the women doesn't live there anymore, but she used to before she got divorced - she provides the contrast between the haves and the I-wish-I-still-hads.

It's all about keeping up with the Jones's. They're always saying things like "Today we're getting a new car. I don't really care about cars, but people here take their cars really seriously. I think it's been hardest for my husband, since it's really embarrassing to have his wife driving around in an old car." Or, as one woman is getting botox, "People in Coto just don't age past 32."

Overall, though, the show portrays a pretty sympathetic picture of the women. They indulge themselves in various things that normal people can't afford (botox, nice cars, frequent vacations to Mexico), but for the most part they seem like nice people who are really focused on their kids and their families.

The people that are easy to hate are the kids - especially the ones who are over 18 and think they should be able to live off their parents while doing nothing. The divorced woman's 20-year-old daughter was living on her own in LA, but shows up at her mom's three-bedroom townhouse and announces that living on her own is too hard and she doesn't want to work. Her mom, who is working to support herself and her other two children (14 and 9 years old) asked whether she wanted to sleep on the couch or share a room with her 9-year-old sister. The response: "I am not sleeping on the couch and I am not sharing a room with a 9-year-old." When her mom asked how she planned to pay her car insurance: "I do not want to get a job." Hello. Earth to spoiled brat.

Then there's the 19-year old guy who had a 4.4 GPA in high school, but went to a party college and got a 1.8 GPA his first year. Now he's home from school and his mom wants him to get a job. He told her that maybe he could find time to work a few hours a week. Her response, "Um, how about 40 hours a week?" (he rolls his eyes). Mom: "Look, you're not getting any allowance this summer, so you'd better start looking for a job." Kid: "We'll see about that." He's pretty much an idiot.

The moral of the story: hide your wealth from your children until they can support themselves. And don't live by rich people who will make you feel like you need more stuff.