Читать книгу Launching Financial Grownups - Bobbi Rebell - Страница 16

Parenting expert Allison Task's stepdaughter had agreed to pay for half of her new phone. At first, there was no timeline and no consequence if she did not pay, so she simply kept putting it off and making promises that she would get to it. Then Task had an idea and wrote her a note that read, “I've made a mistake. Starting January 1, we will be charging you interest, and we'll be happy to explain how that works, but we've made a mistake.” What happened next? “Oh my God,” Task said. “Done in half an hour. She sent us a check for the full amount she owed us because she had recently started working at a local restaurant.”

That little note enforcing what they had already agreed on, with a financial consequence, did so much to teach Task's daughter the importance of paying a loan and avoiding the consequences of nonpayment: interest. That lesson also protected her daughter from paying a higher price in the future, including having bad marks on her credit report and having to pay higher rates for loans on everything from cars to a new home.

It would have been so much easier for Task to just say, “Oh, she's working so hard and earning so little at that restaurant. Let's not bug her to pay off the phone. We aren't hurting so much for the money and she's such a good kid.” And that is the point: If you are like me, you have so many regrets about things you should have stopped doing or could have done better but just have not.

It's easier not to bring it up and risk a confrontation, especially with often moody teenagers. Sometimes we go too hard on our kids, but often we take the easier path for us and smooth the way for our kids rather than have conflict. It's also easier not to bring the kids when you are shopping, even if it would help them understand why you are always complaining about the growing expense of gas, groceries, and other stuff. It is easier to buy them clothing online. But then when they see you hit “buy,” do they really understand what's going on financially? Will they be ready when it's their turn?

We can all be more like Task and course correct when we see our kids aren't getting the message. It is often because we aren't sending the message. Once she realized this, Task was firm and reasonable and got the response she needed.