A crass betrayal of the father-daughter code
Channel 5 is not my natural home unless I’m not fit for anything more taxing than the staggeringly banal Secret Life of Puppies.
But I justified tuning in to the tawdry Thomas Markle: My Story on the grounds of professional prurience – even if I did have to scuttle to the sink and wash the dirt off my hands during the ad breaks.
Aside from the toe-curling Meghan tittle-tattle and raw emotion of an unhappily estranged father, arguably the most thought-provoking aspect of the programme was his stout belief that his daughter owes him a debt that extends far beyond filial affection.
“It’s time to look after Daddy,” the septuagenarian told the interviewer, bluntly. His words sounded crass. Not just on this side of the pond, either.
Americans are as disinclined to talk about money as we are; a survey by Fidelity Investments revealed that 43 per cent of US citizens have no idea how much their own spouse earns.
No one thought to measure the lack of communication between parents and adult children; too bizarre.
But does Thomas Markle have a point? Meghan lived with him between the ages of 11 and 18, and the former television lighting director has claimed to have paid for her education.
Does that morally entitle him to a share of any fortune she has now or may accrue in the future? Tough though it may seem, I’d have to demur.
Raising children, lavishing them with love, time and material possessions does not come with any guarantees. As in every other sphere, the value of your investment can go down as well as up.
It’s neither fair nor unfair; just part of the reproductive deal. We give them what we can, we care for them wholeheartedly, nurture their dreams and then release them into the wild.
In an ideal world, sooner or later you get out what you put in. If your offspring wins the lottery – literally or figuratively – it’s not unreasonable to hanker after a share of their joy.
But bleating to the world about being hard done by is tacky. It’s a betrayal of the past; a rejection of the unconditional love that is every infant’s due.
A child’s ingratitude may indeed be sharper than a serpent’s tooth. But a parent’s reproach is pure poison.