Money. Doesn’t it speak for itself? Does it need any further introduction? It is the reason millions wake up at the proverbial crack of dawn and go to work in factories, offices, gardens and elsewhere.
It is the reason some marry the people they marry; and the reason many leave their marriages. It is what ensures we have bread on the table; healthcare when we are unwell; get a ticket to travel from point A to point D… It is, after God, what makes things happen. So, no, we cannot ignore money in the process of raising children, because they are already encountering Teach children about money from a young age PARENTING BOB KISIKI it, young as they might be.
A video has been in circulation for the longest time, of a little baby girl, who chanced upon (probably) her father’s wallet. It was stuffed with many bank notes, many of the sh20,000 and sh50,000 denominations. What did she do, this child of provably two years of age? Stuffed the notes in her top, the way some women are known to do, who wear bras.
I will never forget the story someone we go to the same church with told us, about her nephew. The boy lived with his grandpa, this churchmate’s father; a man who had worked so hard for so long; money was in copious abundance in the house.
So, every time this child was returning to school after holidays, he would, without anybody noticing, stuff his school box with bundles of notes, sometimes to the tune of millions of shillings. All for wanton living at school.
As parents, there are circumstances where we must spend on our children. When they are going to school, we pay their tuition fees, buy uniforms and scholastic materials and even give them pocket money for upkeep. They have not worked for this money; but it is being spent on them. This is why you must of necessity talk to them about the issue of money.
Money is earned. Besides a few (un)lucky people who get their money without sweating for it – by virtue of offices they fill, sometimes by virtue of how they view and use their gender, and other ways – we all get paid when we either toil or offer a service. Children must know that they will not always be recipients of transfer earnings.
They must be told that ill-gotten money is a curse, and at some point or other, you pay for it in currencies no country or community understands. They ought to be told that anyone who expects or even anticipates to keep getting money without working for it is either planning to be a career beggar, or professional thief/ robber or gambler. None of these things is good or respectable.
At some point, we need to train our children to actually earn their money; at least what they receive as upkeep, or what they use during their holidays. You know, some have phones and need data. Assign them a piece of work they can do over and above their daily chores, before you can give them that sh10,000 they need to buy data.
It could be ironing all the baby’s clothes; running an errand or anything else. Just show them that they need to earn their money. There are no free lunches, the old adage goes.
Besides earning it, children also need to learn the culture of budgeting their money. They need to realise that making (or having) money does not mean you have to spend it immediately, as if it would devour you in the night you if you kept it.
So, teach them to allot specific sums to such aspects as purchases, paying bills and saving. It does not matter how much money they have received, let them get into the habit of taking off some and keeping it for the proverbial rainy day. It always comes.
The writer is a parent, teacher and social worker
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