Archive for October, 2008
October 31st, 2008
A common question we ask our children each day is “How was your day?” or “What did you learn?”
If you have a younger child, you are probably inundated with a mulititude of events ranging from learning the ABC’s to watching a friend get gum caught in their hair. If you have a teenager, you may not get more than “It was fine.”
Many of us try our hardest to really learn about what are kids are doing each day after they get on the bus. We want to be a part of their educational process and participate in their lives.
Ever thought about sharing your day? If your child asked you how your day was, would you say more than “It was fine”?
Most of our children have no idea what it’s like during the day outside their classroom walls. Sometimes they don’t know why they are working so hard in the classroom. What happens after they graduate?
Each day, don’t be afraid to share some part of your job that you are quite proud of. What did you do today that you enjoyed? Many of us growing up had no idea what our parents did for a living. I know my father did something with computers. That’s about the extent of it.
By sharing your day with your child, you provide them an image of what life after school is like.
Next time, we’ll talk about good ways to introduce your teenagers to their dream job.
October 24th, 2008
Is this a great time to talk to our kids about the differences between needs and wants or what?
Maybe it’s an even better time for us as adults to learn as well.
Needs fall under three areas: Food, Shelter and Clothing. Some of us think we already know that, but do we?
We all know that it’s important to eat. Some of us do it more than others. Food is a necessity of life. But is eating out every day a necessity? Probably not. Especially when we are paying for the rising costs of food and other bills.
Shelter is a need, but is owning a $200,000 house on a $40,000 income wise? We live in Rockford. You can get quite a nice house for much cheaper.
Most of us would rather not walk around outside without clothing, but do we have to do it in $50 jeans and $100 shirts? Think about how many shirts you can get at discount stores for that prices. And don’t get me started when it comes to what you can find at stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army. We relied on those clothes for my kids back when they were growing so fast it seemed like a waste to spend more than $5 on anything.
In the end, the world of needs and wants can get rather muddied, but if we play it smart when we get those needs, there will be more available down the road for those wants.
And could we give our kids any better lesson out of this whole crisis?
October 10th, 2008
You know for many of those that aren’t familiar with the history of our financial markets, I hear a lot of “The sky is falling” - type talk. For those of our youth who are overhearing this talk, it’s got to be very scary times.
Most of the pundits out there, for what it’s worth, have said that this will not turn into anything like the Great Depression. Our markets are more diverse. Action is being taken sooner (although some may say not soon enough).
Like I said during my last post, this is a great chance for kids to learn a little something about what’s going on. Where did it all start? How will it all end?
Maybe this is a good time to discuss the downsides of credit AKA “Getting in over your head.”
Remember, it doesn’t take much to do this. Many of us remember signing up for our first credit card right after high school. I got a free shirt for signing up and I thought it was a great deal. that was before I realized all the interest I would pay when I couldn’t pay it off each month.
Credit can sometimes be a slippery slope. Let our youth know to be cautious and money smart.
October 2nd, 2008
In my job, I think everyday about our youth and what concerns them about their future. So, with the last week or so being the rollercoaster ride that it was, I started thinking about what a learning opportunity this is for everyone, especially our youth.
The problem is that many of them aren’t paying attention. Of course, can you blame them? The financial markets and the economy, in general, are not subjects that are discussed in the halls of our schools. Our business teachers are doing a great job of getting the discussions flowing, but once the students leave, the discussion shouldn’t stop there.
I encourage all parents to keep the lines open with their kids and talk to them about all the excitement going on around. There are a lot of questions, both from adults and youth, and by communicating with each other and exploring each others questions, we become better educated about where we are.
Our youth will be the ones on Wall Street soon. Let’s make them prepared to not make our mistakes.
