FOODFORTHOUGHT

Another Way column by Melodie Davis

"Too many kids only think about the "in" name brand or look when they go shopping, and put pressure on their parents to have the best."

How do we develop our attitudes about money? Are there certain personality types that are more inclined to be savers? Spendthrifts?

A woman was telling me about her nephew, who from a very early age, has always been very close with his money. His mom was a single mom, and so they had to watch every penny they spent. But one day, when a big kids' movie came out, they splurged and she took him to see the movie that everyone wanted to see. She went to buy popcorn, but didn't quite have enough money. She quickly borrowed some from her son.

Sitting in the darkened theater, waiting for the "must see" movie to begin, all of a sudden she noticed her son was crying.

"What is the matter?" she inquired sympathetically.

"I want my money back," he whimpered.

While we can understand a three-year-old worrying about getting his money back and say it is just immaturity, in this case the boy grew up to be a teen who still knows the value of a dollar.

I've noticed with our own daughters that one has a very casual attitude toward money, figuring things will work out in the end. Another has always been thriftier, while the third seems to be a combination. Just this morning they were discussing their bank accounts: one said she was getting worried because she only had $400 while the other only had $70 to her name and wasn't overly stressed.

I was amused when I heard of one teenage boy who was so thrifty that he was known to break up with his girlfriends right before Christmas or a birthday, when he'd have to buy them a present. So the family knew things were serious when he decided one girl was special enough to keep going together right through Christmas!

But regardless of what kind of attitude toward money seems to come as "original equipment," one of the most important lessons we parents teach is how to handle money.

Too many kids only think about the "in" name brand or look when they go shopping, and put pressure on their parents to have the best. One way to help cure this urge is to put kids on a clothing allowance when they reach a certain age, maybe middle school. They get so much clothing money allotted each spring or fall, and when it is used up, there will be no more clothes until next season. Our daughters learned to appreciate this method. They soon learn that the dollars will go further if they buy from the discount department store instead of the in shops. They might even decide to sew, or shop second hand.

One book, Money Savvy Kids, by J. Raymond Albrekson (WaterBrook Press), centers on teaching five faith-based guiding principles to children in regard to money: the importance of work, giving, saving, spending carefully, and avoiding debt. "Today's kids are at greater risk than ever of buying into the instant-wealth culture that dominates our society," he notes.

William Wood, a professor of economics at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va., has written a forthcoming book, Plain Money, which is an overall guide to handling money. As a college professor, he says he has seen too many students who left home without having had to make spending choices and face the consequences. The result is young adults who don't know how to handle money. "Young people can become financially responsible if they face increasing privileges, and increasing accountability, as they grow up," he says. "Gradually they are given more and more responsibility, until as young adults they can stand on their own."

I think this is the key to children learning the value of a dollar, and the value of their own hard work.