One of the best ways to make a point with kids is to give them real-life examples of things other kids do that underscores your message. So, once again, I find myself using my own kids as pawns. I hang out with them a lot and, as a result, I end up with a bunch of stories perfect for use in my money classes. Here’s one I use when I talk with kids about unwise things to do with our…
Ryan walked in from the garage yesterday with four loosely bundled newspapers up to his chin, plopped them on the counter and started flipping through them. “Left-overs?” I said. He had just gotten back from delivering papers from his once-weekly paper route. “Yeah, and these have great coupons in them!” I love it when kids act like good consumers. It’s a learned skill; kids don’t usually automatically scour the paper for coupons. But when they are responsible for buying their own stuff…well…
Ryan’s geometry book has been sitting on top of the dryer for about two weeks. I finally got tired of looking at it and asked him about it this morning. “Oh yeah, that’s our book,” he said. I was a little confused. I don’t remember buying a geometry book. “They wouldn’t take it back because the edges are all frayed since it’s been in my backpack.” Apparently the book is the first in a two part series and when the…
I picked Ryan up from his day at the mall with his friend, Cody. Ryan and his friends usually don’t hang out at the mall which is fine with me. I find that when I go to the mall I always discover things that I didn’t think I needed but all of a sudden have a desire to buy. I have pretty good self discipline and don’t often succumb to the temptations, but I can see where it would require a…
“Uh oh,” said Gabby after tallying the Are You More of a Savor or a Spender? questions during my 5/6 money class yesterday. She had answered every single spending question with a ‘yes’ which translated to: she liked to spend. Hanging at the mall, well that was paradise. And she’s only 10 years old. A lot of parents don’t realize the potential problem in their kids’ spending habits because, hey, they’re just kids and what kid doesn’t like to…