Jun 23, 2014 2 min read

If the progeny of the rock star Sting thought they had their dad wrapped around their fingers, or they were watching every breath he took in anticipation of a big payday – and the promise of a brand new day – upon his death, they’ve experienced a rude surprise.

The veteran 62-year-old rocker, whose given name is Gordon Sumner, told a British tabloid over the weekend that his six children shouldn’t plan on getting much but spare change from his estate, which carries an estimated value of $300 million, because “I told them there won’t be much money left because we are spending it … What comes in we spend, and there isn’t much left.”

Borrowing a note from Theodore Roosevelt, who railed against the excesses of inherited wealth, Sting added, “I certainly don’t want to leave them trust funds that are albatrosses ’round their necks.”

Of course, the overwhelming majority of us would be more than willing to wrestle with such albatrosses, or we wouldn’t be playing the Pennsylvania Lottery or visiting the casinos that dot our region with such enthusiasm.

Perhaps Sting and his wife have a bumper sticker on the back of one of their Mercedes or Jaguars that says the same thing we see on the backs of so many of the Winnebagos that crawl across the American landscape: “We’re Spending Our Children’s Inheritance.”

And if those children are upset, they might end up sending their dad a simple message: Please, don’t stand so close to me.