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Living Life
A while back it was suggested by a Cheapskater that schools should be teaching a class called "living life". She then went on to clarify her point by suggesting it cover budgeting, shopping, the consequences of debt and how to pick a con.
I wonder when these became someone else's responsibility and not Mum's and Dad's?
School is for the three R's (or the 21st century quivalent), and educating, not raising, children. Some may argue that life skills are a part of education, and they are. They're just not a school's responsibility. Parents ultimately are responsible for their children's education, be it formal which is why we send them to school, or the informal that comes from being a part of a family and from experiences, ethics and morals being shared and passed on from parent to child.
As a mother I had a responsibility to my three children. I was responsible for their health and safety, I was responsible for providing them with a clean and safe place to live, good, nutritious food to eat and suitable clothing. I had the added responsibility of ensuring they were adequately educated. No one would dispute those as a parent's responsibilities.
But my responsibilities didn't end there. I was responsible for the adults they grow into. I could nurture happy, contented, kind, generous, hard-working, considerate human beings. Or I could nurture slothful, selfish, greedy human beings.
I'm hoping I've raised my three to be the first kind of adult. Over the years I taught my three kids to wash, iron, fold, vacuum, do floors, clean bathrooms, cut the grass, wash windows. My mother used to say AJ was the only 6-week-old baby who knew how to wash dishes. They can cook veggies and grill meat, they know how to make a great pasta sauce, they can wrap presents and decorate the Christmas tree and they know how to make a bed properly, complete with hospital corners!
They were also been taught that you work for what you want, that the world does not owe them anything just because they were born, that if you don't contribute you can't take, if you want something you save up for it and to do unto others as they would like to be done to.
All three had regular pocket money since they were 5 years old, when they would get 50c a week as payment for doing extra chores around the house. Those were extra chores, not the chores associated with being a part of a family and living in a family home. Extra chores were things like weeding, washing the car, extra cleaning; they didn't get paid to make their beds, clean their bathroom, put their laundry out or away, set the table, help with dishes, dusting or vacuuming etc.
I'd give them two 20c and two 5c coins. Five cents went into the offering plate at church (that was their "give" 10%), five cents went into their money boxes (that was their "save" 10%) and the rest they could spend or save as they wished (that was their "living on" 80%).
I know that not all parents are good money managers, but that's no excuse. In this day and age, when information is easier to find and more abundant than at any time in the history of the world, there is no excuse for not learning all you can so that you can teach yourself and your children good money management skills. The best lessons are taught by example, and what better example than that of a parent for a child?
From the day they are born, they are learning and parents are their first teachers. It is our responsibility to teach them about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and money management.
If you're not good at managing your finances, it's not too late to larn and change. You can learn along with your kids, and lead and teach by example. Think of it as the Cheapskates version of the Suzuki method, but for money management and homemaking instead of violin. (The Suzuki method of violin is famous because parents learn alongside their children - and it works!)
Or another example: when your first child was a baby, you had to learn how to bath him, feed him, change his nappy. You had to learn when to start him on solids. You taught him how to stand, then walk. You taught him how to talk. None of these things just happened. Before you could care for your baby, you had to learn how.
Raising financially confident children is exactly the same. Just because you're not sure, doesn't mean you can't learn so you can teach your children.
You may not have been brought up in a home where you were taught how to cook or clean. You may not have grown up in a home where your parents taught you about money.
That's no excuse to not learn so you can teach your children.
Putting the responsibility for your lack of responsibility onto your parent, or the education system or the Government is just shirking your responsibility.
Oh, I know some of you will be offended and upset by that statement. Don't be. It's not said with disrepect or without compassion.
I grew up in a home where my mother cooked, cleaned, grew a lot of what we ate, made our clothes and knitted our jumpers. She preserved food all summer long. She budgeted.
But when Disaster Struck, I had to learn how to cook from scratch, buy ingredients, grow a veggie garden, sew properly. I had to learn how to budget, and how to live on that budget. So don't think I don't understand, I do.
I chose to learn how to do those things because I didn't want our life to change, and I didn't want my children growing up not knowing how to take care of themselves.
The Cheapskates Club is just one place you'll learn how to manage your money. If you're not getting the weekly newsletters or Tip of the Day emails, you should be. You should also be logging in to the Member's Centre and reading the latest tips and articles at least once a week and visiting the forum every couple of days.
Little ones need to learn at their mother's and father's knee how to cook, clean, sew, garden, laugh, have fun, share, give and yes, budget.
Learn all you can (and not just about finances) so you can raise your children to live the life you want for them.
I think that's teaching our kids "living life" skills and what being a parent is all about.
I wonder when these became someone else's responsibility and not Mum's and Dad's?
School is for the three R's (or the 21st century quivalent), and educating, not raising, children. Some may argue that life skills are a part of education, and they are. They're just not a school's responsibility. Parents ultimately are responsible for their children's education, be it formal which is why we send them to school, or the informal that comes from being a part of a family and from experiences, ethics and morals being shared and passed on from parent to child.
As a mother I had a responsibility to my three children. I was responsible for their health and safety, I was responsible for providing them with a clean and safe place to live, good, nutritious food to eat and suitable clothing. I had the added responsibility of ensuring they were adequately educated. No one would dispute those as a parent's responsibilities.
But my responsibilities didn't end there. I was responsible for the adults they grow into. I could nurture happy, contented, kind, generous, hard-working, considerate human beings. Or I could nurture slothful, selfish, greedy human beings.
I'm hoping I've raised my three to be the first kind of adult. Over the years I taught my three kids to wash, iron, fold, vacuum, do floors, clean bathrooms, cut the grass, wash windows. My mother used to say AJ was the only 6-week-old baby who knew how to wash dishes. They can cook veggies and grill meat, they know how to make a great pasta sauce, they can wrap presents and decorate the Christmas tree and they know how to make a bed properly, complete with hospital corners!
They were also been taught that you work for what you want, that the world does not owe them anything just because they were born, that if you don't contribute you can't take, if you want something you save up for it and to do unto others as they would like to be done to.
All three had regular pocket money since they were 5 years old, when they would get 50c a week as payment for doing extra chores around the house. Those were extra chores, not the chores associated with being a part of a family and living in a family home. Extra chores were things like weeding, washing the car, extra cleaning; they didn't get paid to make their beds, clean their bathroom, put their laundry out or away, set the table, help with dishes, dusting or vacuuming etc.
I'd give them two 20c and two 5c coins. Five cents went into the offering plate at church (that was their "give" 10%), five cents went into their money boxes (that was their "save" 10%) and the rest they could spend or save as they wished (that was their "living on" 80%).
I know that not all parents are good money managers, but that's no excuse. In this day and age, when information is easier to find and more abundant than at any time in the history of the world, there is no excuse for not learning all you can so that you can teach yourself and your children good money management skills. The best lessons are taught by example, and what better example than that of a parent for a child?
From the day they are born, they are learning and parents are their first teachers. It is our responsibility to teach them about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and money management.
If you're not good at managing your finances, it's not too late to larn and change. You can learn along with your kids, and lead and teach by example. Think of it as the Cheapskates version of the Suzuki method, but for money management and homemaking instead of violin. (The Suzuki method of violin is famous because parents learn alongside their children - and it works!)
Or another example: when your first child was a baby, you had to learn how to bath him, feed him, change his nappy. You had to learn when to start him on solids. You taught him how to stand, then walk. You taught him how to talk. None of these things just happened. Before you could care for your baby, you had to learn how.
Raising financially confident children is exactly the same. Just because you're not sure, doesn't mean you can't learn so you can teach your children.
You may not have been brought up in a home where you were taught how to cook or clean. You may not have grown up in a home where your parents taught you about money.
That's no excuse to not learn so you can teach your children.
Putting the responsibility for your lack of responsibility onto your parent, or the education system or the Government is just shirking your responsibility.
Oh, I know some of you will be offended and upset by that statement. Don't be. It's not said with disrepect or without compassion.
I grew up in a home where my mother cooked, cleaned, grew a lot of what we ate, made our clothes and knitted our jumpers. She preserved food all summer long. She budgeted.
But when Disaster Struck, I had to learn how to cook from scratch, buy ingredients, grow a veggie garden, sew properly. I had to learn how to budget, and how to live on that budget. So don't think I don't understand, I do.
I chose to learn how to do those things because I didn't want our life to change, and I didn't want my children growing up not knowing how to take care of themselves.
The Cheapskates Club is just one place you'll learn how to manage your money. If you're not getting the weekly newsletters or Tip of the Day emails, you should be. You should also be logging in to the Member's Centre and reading the latest tips and articles at least once a week and visiting the forum every couple of days.
Little ones need to learn at their mother's and father's knee how to cook, clean, sew, garden, laugh, have fun, share, give and yes, budget.
Learn all you can (and not just about finances) so you can raise your children to live the life you want for them.
I think that's teaching our kids "living life" skills and what being a parent is all about.