My parents rarely discussed money, and when they did it was tense and my mom usually got angry/upset. For a long time, talking about money put my stomach in knots.
I still have some residual trepidations and fears about money and talk to other women all the time who do, too.
I can definitely relate to this.
My take away from watching my parents was that I never, ever wanted to be in their position where money ruled my life and was the cause of so much fighting and unhappiness. My father made a fantastic salary growing up and my parents spent every single dime and borrowed like there was no tomorrow. Only problem was that tomorrow came with an unexpected layoff and they never recovered. Part of my initial attraction to this board is watching this insane housing market and seeing clones of my parents all around me. Pretty soon many will be going through the motions of layoffs, having everything you’ve ever “owned” taken away, and foreclosures. The only difference is that foreclosure now seems sorta “in” compared to when it happened to me it was unbelievably humiliating.
So which is it? Is it that kids learn from their parents what to do or what not to do because there are plenty examples of both. Personally I think it can be either or anything in between depending on the individual. And I think the same can be said for whatever schools are teaching: it’s up to you what you take away from it.
