We recently sat all of our children down for a family council. Actually, this was not the first time, and it isn't as serious as it sounds. Usually we just talk about what's going on lately and what projects we'll be working on that day. This one was a tad different. We had a mini lesson on money. I decided to see where the kids were at with this topic, and was not disappointed.
After a quick warning that I didn't want any jokes from the children (absolutely necessary) I began, "What do you think every child should know about money?"
My four year old was first to answer, "How to count it!"
"Thank you, sweetheart. Who's next?"
My 8-year-old son raised his hand higher and higher, with a big mischievous grin. I ignored him and asked the first-grader for input.
"How to spend it!" She said, satisfied.
"Yes, I guess that's true. What else?"
The 8-year-old appeared to be almost ready for lift-off, his hand was so high. His grin was wider, too, and included the eyes. I tentatively called on him with a warning, "Jonathan, remember I said NO JOKING AROUND." His arm decided it could stay earthbound. He knows most of the answers, but without a joke he was speechless.
I decided to call on Rachel. In her 10-year-old wisdom she got to the topic, "How to save it."
Rachel gave me the answer I was looking for, but I realized that all of the answers were good. They need to learn how to keep track of it, use it (carefully, I hope), and save it. David and I decided we needed to do something when we saw the older kids frequently use all of their money on chocolate and gum. (I guess it can't be all bad, though. Now they know the difference between Godiva and Hersheys!) So anyway, we are going to attempt to teach money management. That means bank accounts, regular chores, and charts, among other things.
Now that I'm writing this, I realized that we skipped the part about how to earn it. Don't worry. Sarah tells me she had this figured out long ago when she was three. "We find it in the parking lot."
Yikes. We have some work to do. :)
1 comment:
You're smart to teach them about money. I wish someone had taught me at a young age...I had to learn the hard way after college, and dig myself out of debt. That lesson really stuck with me, though--I would never make that mistake again!
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