Parents’ Money Management Affects Children
Children are great imitators, learning by what they see other people, especially their parents, doing. Children also learn how to care for financial matters by observing what their parents do, so setting a good example will help them later on in life financially.
Children who spend money without considering what consequences it could bring are usually raised by parents that act the same way. It would not be wise to teach children that money is simply a means to an end. Instead, emphasize that money is important for physical necessities like food and shelter but is not the most important thing in life.
Money that is handled with respect is money that will be around for more than one day. Lack of money is the reason why many couples in a marriage argue. Parents that come from two different backgrounds when it comes to money will likely butt heads. Before the children become adversely affected, the parents need to talk out their differences and come to a common viewpoint on how to handle the family finances.
Parents have not all had great examples of how to save money in their pasts to look to, and learning to do so does not happen overnight. Reading books or taking classes on money management can help end bad financial practices and will also influence children in positive ways when it is shared with them, perhaps at family meetings.
Get the family together and make a financial plan if you dont already have one in place. Make the kids part of the process so that they learn the proper use of money in a family. Talking together about problems and solutions to money problems can be beneficial as well.
As a child, my family didn’t have a lot of money. When I was old enough to have a job, I would spend my money on whatever I wanted. I didn’t want to live a life where I was deprived of things because I didn’t have money. I worked hard, but spent every cent.
When I became an adult, these same practices presented me and my family with financial difficulties. Although my parents were not wrong, they could have been more right by allowing me to be part of financial decisions or at least talking to me about money more. I just had to go with what I saw as the truth about money.
It is better to explain money matters to your children instead of letting them draw their own conclusions. That doesn’t mean that each decision you make needs to be run by them first. But when major money changes occur, include the children in the discussions so that they know what is going on and how the family plans to deal with the situation.
Childrens view of money can definitely be affected by how their parents choose to handle it, for better or for worse. It is important to remember that kids are always watching, so let them see good financial practices that they can learn to imitate.
