UNITED STATES-How many times do I have to tell children and young adults that money doesn’t grow on trees. There seems to be this myth that money grows on trees, especially those who are not used to having to spend money out of their own pockets if we have to be honest. Why do children seem to think money is endless?
Well, many of us parents have not taught our children the importance of a dollar. If a child is not used to earning money or having to spend it to obtain goods and services, they think its endless. I feel that has to be the case with my niece. She loves to play the negotiator game, and she wants almost everything expensive with a label or name on it.
At times you want to blame others, but I had to take a look at myself and point the finger at myself. Why? I have caved into those demands and requests. They ask for a $300 sweatsuit and instead of saying no, I say “maybe.” No, stand on business and make it be clear, if you want this, you’re going to have to earn it.
Did that transpire? No, instead she got what she wanted and then didn’t take care of it. Nothing annoys me more than spending a ton of money for something, just to see someone toss it in the trash as if it doesn’t matter. I work way too hard for my money, and as a result, I refuse to allow it to simply go in the trash because someone fails to care for it. How do you change this?
You give children chores. You make them earn the money they want to purchase the item or thing that they want to purchase. In doing so, it teaches them the value of a dollar. In addition to that, they learn labor comes at a cost: mental stress and physical stress on the body. Once that money has been earned, it’s up to the child, teen or young adult to decide if the item they want is worth it or rather that money is better spent elsewhere.
Yes, that is my mentality. If it’s something I want and it costs $60, me having $60 is not enough. I want double if not triple in my account usually triple because if I spend $60, I still have $120 left over. I’m always cautious about having more than I need because I have that fear that the unexpected can unfold at any given time. If that does, it places you in a situation where have a bit left over just in case something unexpected comes into play.
Perhaps, the most important tool is you have to be able to tell your child: NO! Sometimes you have to play the bad parent and let your child know, no, you can’t have it. The moment your child thinks he or she will always get what he or she wants they will continue to ask to get what it is they want.
We have a lot of kids these days who don’t value money because their parents just freely give it to them without any expectation in return. The thing that I want to make clear is that you have to teach at an early age. By not doing so, the child gets engrained in their brain at an early age they don’t have to value things because they get those things without much work having to be done. By the time they become an adult, if they haven’t learned about money, it is going to be very difficult to change.
They are also going to learn a difficult lesson about money and life, as quickly as it comes, as quickly as it can go.
Written By Jason Jones
