Kids and Money

I have decided to take the following week to talk about teaching money management to children.  A bit of a leap, you might think, for a person who doesn’t have kids.  So instead of telling you the best way to going about teaching your child I'll give you an idea of how I learned money management as a kid. 

Key to me learning about finances at a young age were three main factors: 

• Having money discussed and modelled in every day life. 
• Having to access to money and having to earn it. 
• Having money management taught to me by multiple sources.  

That said every child is unique and what will work to teach one child may not work for another.  As a parent/guardian you are uniquely positioned to meet your child’s needs.  With that said I will leave you with some notes on how a child thinks which has absolutely nothing to do with finances, I just think it’s kind of cool. 

Child’s Oath

I, a child, will be ever energetic and curious, as only a four-foot-peanut-butter-and-jelly fueled machine can be.  I vow to keep my eyes and ears open at all times, including and especially when adults tell me to close them.  I will learn by what others around me do and make no guarantee that I will change a behavior because an adult say so. 

I here by reserve the right to ignore anyone and everyone who tells me something is impossible.  Instead I chose to view the world with what you would consider to be irrational optimism.  I will embark on schemes even if you decide they are crazy, because we both know you’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first. 

Please do not mistake my innocence for ignorance or weakness for it is neither.  Do not make the mistake of thinking that my innocence is complete because I too am part of an imperfect world.  Though that imperfect world may include my perpetually unmade bed have no fear; I know how to fix the world and I am determined to remember how so I can fix it as an adult. 

I refuse to understand that different is bad because I know that’s not how the world works.  Most of the time I won’t notice that someone is different until you tell me at which point I’ll shrug because it doesn’t really matter.  Should I ever become so blind as to the fact that I can not see how I am identical to everyone else I give you permission to ground me indefinitely. 

Now, can I have a snack?