Penny-Up for Wealth
Some are fortunate to have mentors showing how to manage money. Others learn from hard knocks. Either way, becoming wise about finances is important for peace of mind.
Guiding children while they are young makes sense. Here are a few pointers I learned along the way:
1. Teach children to earn, rather than expect. Show young ones how to look for work opportunities. For example, my grandfather helped us pick citrus at Christmas and sell the fruit to a roadside stand. Then we took the earnings to buy others Christmas presents. Even young children can take pride and learn self-sufficiency with vacuuming, dog walking, or leaf raking.
2. Remind youngsters of their worth and teach them to negotiate. As a teen, I had a new babysitting job caring for three children a full Saturday. That night, the parents paid me $3! At the time, I was shocked and didn't know how to react. But what I learned was to negotiate prices ahead of time and have agreement before any job began. Never did babysit for that family again.
3. Allow young people to make financial mistakes. My grandmother told me, "Just because you have money, doesn't mean you have to spend it." I learned the hard way that satisfying immediate desires often results in buying junk that doesn’t last. If youth equate how many hours they have to work to buy what they want, then a safety mechanism is put in place. This restraint positions them for long-term success, rather than immediate gratification.
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For a family devotional about money stewardship, consider “Treasures of the Wise: 30 Devotions for Storing Up Heavenly Riches.” Available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Treasures-Wise-Devotions-Storing-Heavenly/dp/1649607210/ref=sr_1_1?crid=I1KY3FIASNXN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7Rw93LBqSq8TkZ_h68O-mw.hS4vP0gHnS9AsGf1Q-TwOwuRUCZdxKhFC_5SKBCOUg8&dib_tag=se&keywords=Treasures+of+the+wise%3A+Storing+up+Heavenly+Riches&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1775501242&s=books&sprefix=treasures+of+the+wise+storing+up+heavenly+riches%2Cstripbooks%2C111&sr=1-1
