[dharmagirl]

I just had lunch with a friend who is a Family Therapist. She regularly counsels families struggling to pay for their high school kid’s $700/mo BMW lease payment and designer clothes – because they believe their kid(s) must competitive with their peers. The amazing thing is that she said these parents are not earning six-figure incomes – they are working at low-wage, hourly jobs.

We both agreed that the current dire economic climate is going to be a huge wakeup call – perhaps for an entire generation raised with amenities and consumer goods paid for with home equity and instant, E-Z credit.

I commend you Piggies who are helping your children understand and respect money. Like others on this thread, I learned hard lessons 20 years ago. I like to think if I had understood the basics of money management, I would have been LESS likely to have 12 maxed out credit cards at age 22 and may have been a better saver. I also believe that when people respect money they respect themselves, which flows into other areas of life.

Many people often soothe themselves with spending, or buy things to make themselves feel powerful/important. It also sounds like many of you parents out there are giving your kids the gift of healthy self-esteem, and the sense that they are good enough without Gucci sunglasses and Coach purses. And, that my friends, is a very good thing.

[dharmagirl]

I just had lunch with a friend who is a Family Therapist. She regularly counsels families struggling to pay for their high school kid’s $700/mo BMW lease payment and designer clothes – because they believe their kid(s) must competitive with their peers. The amazing thing is that she said these parents are not earning six-figure incomes – they are working at low-wage, hourly jobs.

We both agreed that the current dire economic climate is going to be a huge wakeup call – perhaps for an entire generation raised with amenities and consumer goods paid for with home equity and instant, E-Z credit.

I commend you Piggies who are helping your children understand and respect money. Like others on this thread, I learned hard lessons 20 years ago. I like to think if I had understood the basics of money management, I would have been LESS likely to have 12 maxed out credit cards at age 22 and may have been a better saver. I also believe that when people respect money they respect themselves, which flows into other areas of life.

Many people often soothe themselves with spending, or buy things to make themselves feel powerful/important. It also sounds like many of you parents out there are giving your kids the gift of healthy self-esteem, and the sense that they are good enough without Gucci sunglasses and Coach purses. And, that my friends, is a very good thing.

[dharmagirl]

I just had lunch with a friend who is a Family Therapist. She regularly counsels families struggling to pay for their high school kid’s $700/mo BMW lease payment and designer clothes – because they believe their kid(s) must competitive with their peers. The amazing thing is that she said these parents are not earning six-figure incomes – they are working at low-wage, hourly jobs.

We both agreed that the current dire economic climate is going to be a huge wakeup call – perhaps for an entire generation raised with amenities and consumer goods paid for with home equity and instant, E-Z credit.

I commend you Piggies who are helping your children understand and respect money. Like others on this thread, I learned hard lessons 20 years ago. I like to think if I had understood the basics of money management, I would have been LESS likely to have 12 maxed out credit cards at age 22 and may have been a better saver. I also believe that when people respect money they respect themselves, which flows into other areas of life.

Many people often soothe themselves with spending, or buy things to make themselves feel powerful/important. It also sounds like many of you parents out there are giving your kids the gift of healthy self-esteem, and the sense that they are good enough without Gucci sunglasses and Coach purses. And, that my friends, is a very good thing.

[dharmagirl]

I just had lunch with a friend who is a Family Therapist. She regularly counsels families struggling to pay for their high school kid’s $700/mo BMW lease payment and designer clothes – because they believe their kid(s) must competitive with their peers. The amazing thing is that she said these parents are not earning six-figure incomes – they are working at low-wage, hourly jobs.

We both agreed that the current dire economic climate is going to be a huge wakeup call – perhaps for an entire generation raised with amenities and consumer goods paid for with home equity and instant, E-Z credit.

I commend you Piggies who are helping your children understand and respect money. Like others on this thread, I learned hard lessons 20 years ago. I like to think if I had understood the basics of money management, I would have been LESS likely to have 12 maxed out credit cards at age 22 and may have been a better saver. I also believe that when people respect money they respect themselves, which flows into other areas of life.

Many people often soothe themselves with spending, or buy things to make themselves feel powerful/important. It also sounds like many of you parents out there are giving your kids the gift of healthy self-esteem, and the sense that they are good enough without Gucci sunglasses and Coach purses. And, that my friends, is a very good thing.

[dharmagirl]

I just had lunch with a friend who is a Family Therapist. She regularly counsels families struggling to pay for their high school kid’s $700/mo BMW lease payment and designer clothes – because they believe their kid(s) must competitive with their peers. The amazing thing is that she said these parents are not earning six-figure incomes – they are working at low-wage, hourly jobs.

We both agreed that the current dire economic climate is going to be a huge wakeup call – perhaps for an entire generation raised with amenities and consumer goods paid for with home equity and instant, E-Z credit.

I commend you Piggies who are helping your children understand and respect money. Like others on this thread, I learned hard lessons 20 years ago. I like to think if I had understood the basics of money management, I would have been LESS likely to have 12 maxed out credit cards at age 22 and may have been a better saver. I also believe that when people respect money they respect themselves, which flows into other areas of life.

Many people often soothe themselves with spending, or buy things to make themselves feel powerful/important. It also sounds like many of you parents out there are giving your kids the gift of healthy self-esteem, and the sense that they are good enough without Gucci sunglasses and Coach purses. And, that my friends, is a very good thing.

[dharmagirl]

It sounds like most posters believe that providing basic financial education to kids is a waste of time and money. Maybe it’s no different than sex ed or phys ed. You can arm a kid with information, but if values and family experience lead them down a different path, the knowledge may not matter.

As a teenager, I knew that my parents were not financial wizards but I didnt realize that I had the POWER to do things differently. I had no clue what compound interest was, how to save, or how to manage a checking account.

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. Two years ago, I heard a fascinating lecture by Barbara Stanny. Her father was the ‘Block’ in H&R Block. He always told her she didnt have to understand money – that her husband would handle that.

Well, she let her husband manage her huge trust fund and I think he gambled it away. When she went to Daddy for help he said, “sorry kid, figure it out yourself.”

Stanny got a job as a reporter. At one point, she interviewed successful women to find out what made them successful and realized that they all understood and respected money. This led to her career as a successful author of books about women and money. I think there is an entire industry built around helping women overcome fears about money.

Who knows…maybe the current financial crisis will be a hard lesson for the next generation. Many parents are more progressive about discussing finances with their kids and there is also so much info that simply did not exist when we 40+ somethings were kids. There was no Suze Orman, MSNBC, internet, etc. There is also less stigma about discussing money.

Kudos to all of you posters out there who help your kids understand finances. And, TG, your kids sound amazing.

[dharmagirl]

It sounds like most posters believe that providing basic financial education to kids is a waste of time and money. Maybe it’s no different than sex ed or phys ed. You can arm a kid with information, but if values and family experience lead them down a different path, the knowledge may not matter.

As a teenager, I knew that my parents were not financial wizards but I didnt realize that I had the POWER to do things differently. I had no clue what compound interest was, how to save, or how to manage a checking account.

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. Two years ago, I heard a fascinating lecture by Barbara Stanny. Her father was the ‘Block’ in H&R Block. He always told her she didnt have to understand money – that her husband would handle that.

Well, she let her husband manage her huge trust fund and I think he gambled it away. When she went to Daddy for help he said, “sorry kid, figure it out yourself.”

Stanny got a job as a reporter. At one point, she interviewed successful women to find out what made them successful and realized that they all understood and respected money. This led to her career as a successful author of books about women and money. I think there is an entire industry built around helping women overcome fears about money.

Who knows…maybe the current financial crisis will be a hard lesson for the next generation. Many parents are more progressive about discussing finances with their kids and there is also so much info that simply did not exist when we 40+ somethings were kids. There was no Suze Orman, MSNBC, internet, etc. There is also less stigma about discussing money.

Kudos to all of you posters out there who help your kids understand finances. And, TG, your kids sound amazing.

[dharmagirl]

It sounds like most posters believe that providing basic financial education to kids is a waste of time and money. Maybe it’s no different than sex ed or phys ed. You can arm a kid with information, but if values and family experience lead them down a different path, the knowledge may not matter.

As a teenager, I knew that my parents were not financial wizards but I didnt realize that I had the POWER to do things differently. I had no clue what compound interest was, how to save, or how to manage a checking account.

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. Two years ago, I heard a fascinating lecture by Barbara Stanny. Her father was the ‘Block’ in H&R Block. He always told her she didnt have to understand money – that her husband would handle that.

Well, she let her husband manage her huge trust fund and I think he gambled it away. When she went to Daddy for help he said, “sorry kid, figure it out yourself.”

Stanny got a job as a reporter. At one point, she interviewed successful women to find out what made them successful and realized that they all understood and respected money. This led to her career as a successful author of books about women and money. I think there is an entire industry built around helping women overcome fears about money.

Who knows…maybe the current financial crisis will be a hard lesson for the next generation. Many parents are more progressive about discussing finances with their kids and there is also so much info that simply did not exist when we 40+ somethings were kids. There was no Suze Orman, MSNBC, internet, etc. There is also less stigma about discussing money.

Kudos to all of you posters out there who help your kids understand finances. And, TG, your kids sound amazing.

[dharmagirl]

It sounds like most posters believe that providing basic financial education to kids is a waste of time and money. Maybe it’s no different than sex ed or phys ed. You can arm a kid with information, but if values and family experience lead them down a different path, the knowledge may not matter.

As a teenager, I knew that my parents were not financial wizards but I didnt realize that I had the POWER to do things differently. I had no clue what compound interest was, how to save, or how to manage a checking account.

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. Two years ago, I heard a fascinating lecture by Barbara Stanny. Her father was the ‘Block’ in H&R Block. He always told her she didnt have to understand money – that her husband would handle that.

Well, she let her husband manage her huge trust fund and I think he gambled it away. When she went to Daddy for help he said, “sorry kid, figure it out yourself.”

Stanny got a job as a reporter. At one point, she interviewed successful women to find out what made them successful and realized that they all understood and respected money. This led to her career as a successful author of books about women and money. I think there is an entire industry built around helping women overcome fears about money.

Who knows…maybe the current financial crisis will be a hard lesson for the next generation. Many parents are more progressive about discussing finances with their kids and there is also so much info that simply did not exist when we 40+ somethings were kids. There was no Suze Orman, MSNBC, internet, etc. There is also less stigma about discussing money.

Kudos to all of you posters out there who help your kids understand finances. And, TG, your kids sound amazing.

[dharmagirl]

It sounds like most posters believe that providing basic financial education to kids is a waste of time and money. Maybe it’s no different than sex ed or phys ed. You can arm a kid with information, but if values and family experience lead them down a different path, the knowledge may not matter.

As a teenager, I knew that my parents were not financial wizards but I didnt realize that I had the POWER to do things differently. I had no clue what compound interest was, how to save, or how to manage a checking account.

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. Two years ago, I heard a fascinating lecture by Barbara Stanny. Her father was the ‘Block’ in H&R Block. He always told her she didnt have to understand money – that her husband would handle that.

Well, she let her husband manage her huge trust fund and I think he gambled it away. When she went to Daddy for help he said, “sorry kid, figure it out yourself.”

Stanny got a job as a reporter. At one point, she interviewed successful women to find out what made them successful and realized that they all understood and respected money. This led to her career as a successful author of books about women and money. I think there is an entire industry built around helping women overcome fears about money.

Who knows…maybe the current financial crisis will be a hard lesson for the next generation. Many parents are more progressive about discussing finances with their kids and there is also so much info that simply did not exist when we 40+ somethings were kids. There was no Suze Orman, MSNBC, internet, etc. There is also less stigma about discussing money.

Kudos to all of you posters out there who help your kids understand finances. And, TG, your kids sound amazing.

[dharmagirl]

No wonder kids only seem to be interested in texting these days. I’m actually happy that there was no internet when I was in high school. I think kids had to be more resourceful about entertainment. Sigh.

I dont know much about NCLB – there is so much nonsense going on in the world, it’s something I tend to tune out.

If kids are being reduced to test-taking automatons, that’s sad. Almost sounds Orwellian. Does NCLB only apply to K-8? Or high school, too?

[dharmagirl]

No wonder kids only seem to be interested in texting these days. I’m actually happy that there was no internet when I was in high school. I think kids had to be more resourceful about entertainment. Sigh.

I dont know much about NCLB – there is so much nonsense going on in the world, it’s something I tend to tune out.

If kids are being reduced to test-taking automatons, that’s sad. Almost sounds Orwellian. Does NCLB only apply to K-8? Or high school, too?

[dharmagirl]

No wonder kids only seem to be interested in texting these days. I’m actually happy that there was no internet when I was in high school. I think kids had to be more resourceful about entertainment. Sigh.

I dont know much about NCLB – there is so much nonsense going on in the world, it’s something I tend to tune out.

If kids are being reduced to test-taking automatons, that’s sad. Almost sounds Orwellian. Does NCLB only apply to K-8? Or high school, too?

[dharmagirl]

No wonder kids only seem to be interested in texting these days. I’m actually happy that there was no internet when I was in high school. I think kids had to be more resourceful about entertainment. Sigh.

I dont know much about NCLB – there is so much nonsense going on in the world, it’s something I tend to tune out.

If kids are being reduced to test-taking automatons, that’s sad. Almost sounds Orwellian. Does NCLB only apply to K-8? Or high school, too?

[dharmagirl]

No wonder kids only seem to be interested in texting these days. I’m actually happy that there was no internet when I was in high school. I think kids had to be more resourceful about entertainment. Sigh.

I dont know much about NCLB – there is so much nonsense going on in the world, it’s something I tend to tune out.

If kids are being reduced to test-taking automatons, that’s sad. Almost sounds Orwellian. Does NCLB only apply to K-8? Or high school, too?

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