Pam, “I did not give my kids money unless they earned it. They had weekly and daily chores. I taught them to make their beds before they went to school, for part of their allowance. My boys also took turns washing and drying the dishes.
I would tell them, ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees.’ They knew if they didn’t do something to earn money, they didn’t get it.” Tip 4
Pam was a single parent to five boys. It is understandable she worked hard to convey the value of money, and encouraged a strong respect for it.
Employed full-time as a waitress, and working overtime as a Mom, Pam was very busy. Work ethic and respect were of the utmost importance to her. She stated, “I taught them dependability, punctuality, understanding, and how to manage money. Those things are a must if you’re to survive in this world.” In short Pam advised, earn it, return it and respect it!
I share Pam’s values when it comes to teaching money management, and preparing children for the real world. She and I both worked to teach financial responsibility, as well as household responsibilities.
She taught her boys to respect their things and her money. Pam modeled a strong work ethic, while emphasizing respect for home and neighbors. She covered a lot of ground in her solo journey.
In our home, I actively sought teachable moments to ensure these values were deeply rooted. One fun teachable was ‘laundry money.’ Whenever I would find money in the dryer, I would come running up the stairs with the big announcement.
I set the standard in our home, whoever did the laundry could keep any money found. Can you guess who headed the laundry department?
Now, the money I found in the dryer may have been mine to start with; however, I liked to convince Big Mike and Michael, it was one of them who was careless with money. I would come waving the bill and mocking them for having lost it.
This was such fun for me! I’m sure Michael is thorough in checking his pockets to this day. As for Big Mike, he’s not a quick learner. I’m still getting an occasional bill in the dryer.
I remember there were times when Michael also needed a little cash advance. We too accepted repayment, in hopes of instilling integrity and responsibility.
Fortunately, I was able collected all his repayments and hold them for another teachable. It was my intention to give him the previously borrowed money upon graduation. I wanted to emphasis kindness, while returning the collection of funds to him. I wrote a little poem, with a ‘lesson summary.’
I was proud to give him this gift in such a meaningful way. Although, I’m sure the bucks were appreciated, the lessons were most meaningful and likely to last much longer than the cash.
Thanks Pam!