by Pat Lamb (www.patlambchristianauthor.com) Author of “Let the Children Come”; “Children, Come to Me”; “When the Stars Fall Down”; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way”; and “My Thinking Book”

Train up a child…

Teaching Values to Last a Lifetime

         Our country is in a tough situation right now and we need to prepare our children as best we can for what they will have to face as adults.  Since our country is so far in debt, we know that money is likely to be a problem for many families in the future.  Our children may not be able to experience the lifestyles they now know.

         What are some things we can do to help prepare children for the society they are likely to face? There are some tried and true values that serve any person well in any situation.  If children can learn to live without wants and survive on needs only, they will more likely be able to master many of their financial problems. For both needs and wants, children need to learn to be resourceful.  Taking care of what they have and learning not to be wasteful goes a long way in helping to provide the necessities of life.

         Many people in our present society seem somewhat confused when it comes to defining needs vs. wants. Ask almost any young adult and they will tell you that they really need a cell phone, TV, car, and many other things. The truth is that in the past people have lived very well without any of these things.  In some jobs, some of these things are needed, but as far as personal use is concerned, we can do without them with extra effort.  We are reminded every once in a while that we really can’t depend completely on these conveniences.  There are people constantly trying to sabotage our computer systems, and we need to face the fact that there may come a time when we have to do without some of our technology.  

         Giving up what we would like to have naturally leads to a conversation about being resourceful. Questions concerning needs and wants stimulate creativity in thinking.  Even learning about doing without small insignificant things can teach a child the value of being resourceful.  For example, recently I needed a pattern to sew a project for my grandson.  I remembered how my mother used to take newspaper and cut her own patterns when making dresses for my sisters and me.  I did the same and saved a trip to Springfield. This illustrates how children remember the examples set by parents. I remember how my dad would say that my mom could fix anything with a hairpin.  When there was no screwdriver around, mom would use a knife from the silverware drawer. “Necessity is the mother of invention” they say.  Our needs motivate resourcefulness.

         Those who grew up in the depression era were taught not to waste what they had.  They had to write on both sides of paper.  They were scolded when pencils were “ground away” in pencil sharpeners.  They knew how to recycle before recycling became popular!  Now, thousands of dollars are wasted in schools and businesses by people using the copy machine and using paper to copy only one sentence, or not using the back of paper to copy things that are for temporary use only. Adults need to set the example of valuing what they have and not wasting it.

         We cannot anticipate everything that children need to know to face in their future, but we can go a long way by teaching the values of resourcefulness and stewardship.  When they can truly determine the difference between needs and wants, they will be more able to set priorities in money management.