Growing up I had no concept of money or what kind of hard work went into earning a paycheck. I just expected things to be provided for me by my parents and didn’t give a second thought as to how they afforded me the things they did. I assumed that as a child I was entitled to certain things and it was their responsibility to provide it. Credit card debt, hard work, and a lot of maturity has enlightened me on what it takes to manage our household finances. We are not debt free but we no longer use credit cards and I’m proud of that. Quite simply if we don’t have cash for our purchases we just don’t get them until we do. It took me a long time to get on board with that concept and I’ll admit that it’s not very fun when I want the latest gadgets.
Entitlement to “wants” will not be an option in our home and we have every intention of teaching our son better. Delayed gratification, hard work, tithing, and appreciation for the things we have are the main points we plan to stress with our son when he is old enough to grasp the concept of money. We will encourage him to spend a little, save a little, and give back a lot. We are not so oblivious that we don’t realize some debt may be a necessary evil in life, such as financing higher education or purchasing a home, but we want to instill in him that debt for the things he could save for is irresponsible and will cost more in the long run.
The Parent Bloggers Network has partnered with Capitol One to get the word out about successfully managing your family finances. The Moneywise eLearning tool can help you navigate your finances and help you educate your children about being good stewards of their own money. I think we can all attest to the fact that money can be a huge contributer to stress. Setting your children up for finacial success by giving them the tools they need is one of the best gifts you can give them.
I was raised with no real sense of where the “things” I was given came from. I have done a little better with my children, but could always do better. Thanks for the link. Melissa
I understand where you are coming from. Now, I give my kids an allowance everyweek and let them buy their own things. Of course they have to do their chores all week to earn it but they do it. I am teaching my oldest how to comparison shop and he is understanding fully.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I will continue to visit yours.
I wholly agree with you!
Great deal on rental cars:) I need help finding a great deal on a rental car. I’ve posted on my site,,but i was hoping you could post on yours, help a sista out.
Unlimited Milage, Asheville, Arden, Hendersonville area pickup. Thanks!!!
entitlement is such an automatic response too. I sit back and wonder where the selfishness comes from. We have never just spoiled our daughter, but she sure expects us to… to spoil her and to wait on her hand and foot.
We learned after our first son that it’s not such a good thing to spoil rotten. Nope.
What a great site and I can’t wait to look it over with my teen!
Found your blog through Ann Again… Great post! I grew up with parents living paycheck to paycheck and they pretended that everything was fine…they spent away until they filed for bankruptcy. Thankfully (and sadly for them) they taught me a big lesson. My motto: if it’s not on sale…don’t buy it (b/c at some point it will)!
Amen Sister! I am working on gaining control of our money instead of our money having control over us!
great post, thanks for sharing!