Today’s post features parenting coach Melissa Pazen. As a coach who often works with young families, she takes a thoughtful approach when considering the important lessons that parents must instill into their impressionable teens about money and money management. Here is Melissa’s list for parents to consider:
1. Respect for resources and belongings: Take care of what you have and you won’t need to replace it as quickly. Reduce, re-use, recycle.
2. Respect for self & others: Benjamin Franklin said “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Before it’s time to go out on one’s own, developing good habits show you respect yourself and your abilities.
3. Respect for self & others: No whining! If you don’t have the money, you don’t have the money.
4. Discipline: review income (allowance, earnings, gifts) and determine percentage of each to save. (I work more with parents and suggest they model good money management and be honest with your child about decisions to save/spend and choices among purchases.
5. Discipline: avoid frivolous expenditures if there are bills to pay or more important expenditures to come in soon.
6. Responsibility: While family and friends can help you budget, you’re in charge of your money — now AND later! Learn this now and your credit rate will be better.
7. Flexibility: So you planned and saved to buy something. Then an unforeseen expense comes along. Growing up means dealing with the things that “happen while you were making other plans.”
8. Attitude of Gratitude and Abundance: Especially in the US, we’re beyond fortunate. So many of us have more than we need. Recognize that what you have is good and make a point of keeping a gratitude journal or stating thanks to keep yourself and your desires in perspective.
9. Charity: Even if you have only a dollar, a few pennies can be given to others. Again, we’re very fortunate. You probably know others who aren’t.
10. Deal with Reality and make Realistic Goals: While you may not have everything you want today. A realistic appraisal of your skills and abilities will allow you to plan your life, (and your money). You most likely can be anything you want to be. It will take work, but nobody ever said life was meant to be easy!
To learn more about Melissa and her work, click here.
Easy Action: Talk to your teen about setting a specific financial life goal. For example, “By X (age) I will have X (net worth) so I can _________ (benefit that is meaningful to your teen).” Like all areas of life, we first set meaningful goals, then our journey becomes the discovery of how to achieve our goals.
Resource at Your Fingertips: Check out Moneytrail.net, a FREE, online money management tool.
Remember to Pledge to teach your teen to be an excellent money manager! Vote “Yes. I will make the promise!” to let the world know that parents are doing their part to build a financially literate society!
© Your Teen’s Money Skills, Inc., 2012 All rights reserved worldwide.
Awesome group of tips. Great work Melissa! The first one alone is priceless (pun intended!).
Being smart with money isn’t rocket science as they say…it’s a cumulative base of knowledge and tips about money and investing that WILL create financial security over time.
Elisabeth
Elisabeth Donati – The Money Game recently posted..Pay Yourself First – Repeat Over and Over Again Until Financially Free