I’ve spent my life building a successful company, and I’ve always wanted to use my wealth to provide for my three children. However, I’ve also been very clear about my expectations. I established three non-negotiable rules for funding their weddings, even having formal contracts drawn up. My rules were: 1. They must provide us with grandchildren; 2. They must work at my company for at least a year before marrying; and 3. They must agree to care for us in our old age.
My first two children followed the script perfectly. But when it was my son Rob’s turn, things fell apart. He joined the company and agreed to care for us, but when the contract was put in front of him, he refused to sign. He told me he and his fiancée wanted a child-free lifestyle. He begged me to make an exception since he was doing everything else, but I refused. To me, these rules were about the future of our family legacy. If he wouldn’t commit to the grandchildren, I wouldn’t commit the funds.
The situation took a devastating turn the night before the wedding. My pregnant daughter called me sobbing. She told me Rob had called everything off. He told her—and the rest of the family—that he was only getting married because I had pressured him into it for the sake of the family business and the contract. Now, the wedding is canceled, the family is fractured, and I’m left wondering if my “legacy” was worth the price of my son’s happiness.
