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What are you teaching your kids about debt?
Have you ever thought about what you are teaching your kids about debt, even the littlest ones? Part of our goal to be debt-free is wanting to be a good example for our boys. They are watching every move we make, including those involving money decisions.
A couple nights ago, I fully realized that Jonathan is watching us and listening to our conversations. We were watching the news and a political ad came on. As soon as President Obama's face appeared on the screen, Jonathan had a scowl on his face. The conversation went like this:
Jonathan: I don't like him.
Me: Why?
Jonathan: He's not following God and he kept leading us into “debit.”
Me: Debit? You mean debt?
Jonathan: Yeah. That's not good. I don't like him.
I was quite shocked that he put all that together in a such a coherent thought and articulated it so well. He knew that debt was bad and that our national debt keeps rising. He knew that our country is not practicing the same kind of financial responsibility that our family is attempting to practice.
You need to be teaching your kids about debt.
Teach them…
- The value of a dollar
- The value of hard word
- The importance of patience
- The skill of saving
- The satisfaction of spending only what they have
As your kids get older, teach them….
- How to handle a checking account.
- How to budget.
- To avoid credit cards
- To avoid loans
- Be responsible with their money
So, what are you teaching your kids about debt?
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Great advice! I just don’t think credit cards are neccessarily that bad. As long as you can use them responsibly and pay them off every month. We actually make hundreds of dollars a month in “cash back” just by using a credit card to purchase items we already plan to buy, such as; gas, groceries, car insurance… Plus you need a credit card to rent a car and book a hotel room. 🙂
Danielle, I have to respectfully disagree. First, you can rent a car or hotel room using a debit card. We’ve done it many times. Second, we use to do the pay it all off thing each month for the rewards. We couldn’t get ahead and really save until we started using cash.
My kids are only 4 and 2, but we already have the Financial Peace Jr. Curriculum ready to go whenever they are! We are total Dave Ramsey fans.
Christy, that’s awesome!