Instilling A Taste For The “Good Life”
What are some of the values that you hope to raise your kids with? Is the importance of being wealthy one of them? This article is one of the first I’ve ever read on the topic of raising kids to value wealth. Frankly, it sickens me. I’m all for teaching the value of a dollar and will admit that I’m not the best example of frugality. But I would never want my kids to think that it is important to be wealthy. To me, wealth does not equal happiness.
I think it wiser to teach our children to be happy with what they have and to see the value of contentment. The bigger, better, more attitude creates discontentment and feelings of constant failure. Aspiring to be wealthy should be at the bottom of the priority list. How about aspiring to kindness, honesty and philanthropy? No amount of money can buy the happiness that comes from these things. I’ve met a whole lot of wealthy people who are miserable. More money, more problems, as the saying goes.
Am I just being biased because I did not grow up in a wealthy family? Maybe, but at least I do not have to worry about the consequences of losing a fortune, or the stress of maintaining one! That is something I would never want to endow my children with.
I teach my children to be wise with money. I want them to understand investing, saving, tithing, giving to charity, staying out of debt. By doing these things I expect that they will come to appreciate wealth at some point.
I want my children to save for the future, and carefully consider purchases. I also make it clear that we value people, not things, and that helping others in need is very, very high on our priority list. I grew up in a lower middle class family, and although we got by, we didn’t have a lot for extras. When I went to a college prep high school (that I worked on weekends to help pay for) I was treated like dirt by the rich kids because of where I lived, what my dad did, etc. No way do I want my kids to grow up with that attitude.
Not all kids who grow up wealthy, treat less fortunate children like dirt. You treat people the way you wish to be treated.
I had a couple of friends who were wealthy, but not jerks. Frankly, they were in the minority. And it was not my imagination that there were several people who were willing to interact with me until they learned I was from *that* neighborhood. Then all of a sudden, I was not good enough anymore.
I grew up with *just* enough money in the household (single mom, deadbeat dad), and my love grew up with 2 working parents who believed their children deserved all. We have had some conflicts on this topic, but we have found that our boys can learn about both sides, and it seems to work pretty well. It’s good to have information on opposite sides of the coin (pardon the pun)