Teaching Children Money Habits for Life

The life-long benefits of teaching children good money habits make it well worth the effort. Children who are not taught these lessons pay the consequences for a life-time. Some parents don’t teach children about money because they think they shouldn’t talk about money with children, don’t have the time, or think they don’t have enough money. Parents should take the time to teach children about money regardless of their income and should start when children are young.

Most people have strong feelings and opinions about money, based on childhood experiences and the values and beliefs of their families. Most often, these experiences, values, and beliefs are different for each parent. It is vital for the healthy development of children that parents talk about these feelings and opinions and establish a consistent approach to teaching children about money.

Here are some guidelines parents can keep in mind as they begin the financial socialization of their children:

Guide and advise rather than direct and dictate how the child’s money should be used.

Encourage and praise the child rather than criticize and rebuke actions taken.

Allow children to learn by mistakes and by successes.

Be consistent while taking children’s differences into account.

Include all family members in money management discussions, decision making, and activities as appropriate for their age.

Explain to children what they can and cannot do and the consequences of violating the limits.

As children get older increasingly include them in discussions of limits and consequences.

Expect all family members to perform unpaid, routine household chores based on their abilities.

Express your desire to have things you can’t afford. Children need to know that parents say “no” to themselves, too.

花些力氣教會孩子們良好的花錢習慣是非常值得的，因其帶來的好處是使他們受益一生的。沒有受過這些金錢教育的孩子們將一輩子為此付出代價。有些父母不和子女談論金錢，因為他們覺得不應該和小孩子談論金錢，覺得沒有時間，或者是認為他們沒有足夠的錢。作為父母，不論他們的收入如何都應該花時間教導子女有關錢的問題。

大部分人對金錢所持有的固有的感受和看法都是基于兒時的經歷以及家庭的價值觀和信念。多數情況下，每個父母的這些經歷、價值觀和信念都是不同的。父母談論這些感受和看法并建立起一條前后一致的樹立子女金錢觀的途徑對于孩子的健康成長非常重要。

父母在同子女進行金錢交流時應該記住以下幾點：

引導和建議而不是指揮和命令孩子如何花錢。

鼓勵和表揚孩子而不是批評和指責孩子的行為。

允許孩子們通過失敗和成功來學習。

在考慮每個孩子的不同特點的情況下，保持(觀點和方法的)前后一致。

讓每個家庭成員都參加與其年齡相適應的金錢管理的討論、決定等活動。

向孩子們說明什么能做，什么不能做以及超出限制帶來的后果。

隨著子女的成長，更多地讓他們參與關于限制及后果的討論。

期待每個家庭成員都無償地做一些與他們能力相符的家務勞動。

表達你對買不起的東西的渴望。子女需要知道，父母也要對自己(的需要)說“不”。