The Opposite of Spoiled summary

So an education in money is essential to raising a well-grounded child, but how can you achieve that?

Oftentimes a child will raise the topic of money themselves. Maybe their classmate made a comment that got them interested or they overheard you and your partner discussing the subject. However it happened, something piqued their interest and they want to know more.

Did your parents give you spending money as a child? Can you remember how much? Many kids receive an allowance and their parents are doing precisely the right thing.

That’s because allowances are excellent practice for children to learn about money and how to spend it. So as soon as your child can count, start giving them a small sum – for instance, $1 per week.

We’ve all seen the heart-warming joy in a child’s eyes when they’re handed the toy they wanted so badly. But while giving to children feels good for both parent and kid alike, it can be tempting to give too much.

As parents, it’s easy to think that your children always need more things to fit in with their peers. Therefore, spending money on your kids can seem like a straightforward way to help them gain acceptance. This concept is known as full provisioning and its logic works like this:

Do you ever consider what life was like for kids in the past? If you go back just a century and a half most children’s lives were pretty terrible. Instead of playing or going to school, they worked long shifts at backbreaking jobs. Thankfully, many countries now have laws prohibiting child labor. After all, childhood should be about learning and enjoyment.

But maybe we’ve gone a bit too far in ensuring kids don’t work. Many parents today believe their children shouldn’t work at all. And this leads to their kids missing out on beneficial opportunities.

The most important value to instill in your kids is generosity. That’s because people who are willing to give to others certainly cannot be considered spoiled themselves. You can nudge your child in the right direction by encouraging them to be generous when they can.

How?