Raising Entrepreneurs

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A while ago I wrote about the issue of whether or not to keep kids in the loop about the family finances.

I have recently started writing articles on HubPages (just go to www.HubPages.com and search “kids money” and you’ll find them), and I had some interesting feedback on one of the pages this week.

Lissie wrote on my Hub titled “How Much Should Kids Know About The Family Finances?” that she was amazed we even asked the question.

Wow I had no idea parents hide finances from their kids how silly is that.  I grew up in a single parent family and my mother worked under the table, paid in cash, to make ends meet.  The cash was kept in an old honey pot at the back of the fridge - I distinctly remember at about 12 or so knowing to check the amount of money in the stash before I asked for something - mum never said we were poor  and we never went hungry or without essential clothes and shoes.  We just knew instinctively that we couldn’t afford to go on expensive school outings or get expensive clothes etc!  Neither of us kids ever stole anything from the stash either - we knew that she worked hard for it.  I think it was great, but unintentional, lesson of the value of money and work!

I think Lissie says it all, really - kids know, even if you don’t explicitly tell them. How much more understanding could they have if you involved them in your thinking about the issues, and in developing solutions?

Thanks for the feedback, Lissie, and congratulations to your mother for making it through some very tough years!