“All habits gather by unseen degrees, as brooks make rivers, rivers run to the seas.[1]
My husband caught a nasty cold-flu virus last month. A week later that icky germ was passed on to me. I felt miserable. When I grumbled about his generosity, he was quick to say, “My mother taught me to share. I learned my lesson well.” To which I said, “Please dial up Heaven and let your mother know some things are not nice to share.” We both laughed, but there is a lot of truth to passing along something, like a little germ, that might not be good for someone else as well as things like how we manage our money.
A child doesn’t know a good example from a bad one. What they do is mimic the visible habits of their parents. In other words, they catch what they see more than they do what they are told. That puts a lot of responsibility squarely on the shoulders of Mom and Dad.
Parents train youngsters best as they live out what they say. Do you expect your son or daughter to give to others, but don’t do so yourself? Online giving is great for some charities, but when it comes to church does your child see you take that check or handful of dollar bills out of your pocket and put it into the offering plate? These little acts speak loudly. My dad was generous with our neighbors. I grew up wanting to be generous, too.
Do you shop for groceries with a list or give in to grabbing lots of extras from the shelves as you walk the aisles? My mother had a list and a set dollar amount to spend. There was no credit card for her to use. I watched as she made choices before checking out. By observing what she did, I knew we couldn’t take everything that looked yummy home.
Is every penny of your paycheck spent and nothing put away for that proverbial rainy day, college costs, or retirement fund? If so, children learn to live with the false reality that money will always run out before the month ends. Better yet, talk about saving money in front of your children. This dialogue creates a confidence that the family’s future needs can be met.
All of us should be mindful. Others are watching. The need for money is universal. Can we make it a goal to infect our children with good habits that lead to responsible money management; even if that means sacrifice now? A parent’s money habits, no matter how trivial, directly affect how the next generation will manage their finances.
The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. Psalms 37:30 NLT
[1] Dryden, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Dictionary of Quotations, Norman MacMunn, 1908 George W. Jacobs, p. 80
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