This post was written by Nick Pridemore, College Pastor, Bloomington, Indiana. You can also find him at Werdguys blogging on all things faith and fatherhood.
Last week we began talking about
teaching kids biblical stewardship. I spent most of that post discussing the
bigger picture of stewardship; spelling out why this is something we should be
intentional about. So this week we will look more at the specifics. I’m sure if
you ask 100 people how they teach there kids about money you will get at least
87.392 different answers. I’m not saying what is listed below is the absolute
end all on the subject. But these are some things we do in my house. Feel free
to use them. If you have other methods and areas of focus then, by all means,
pursue those. The point is…do something. Don’t assume kids will learn how to
handle money properly in school or from culture at large.
I’ll start by reiterating something
I said last week. Start teaching them about money before they are old enough to
care about money. Use toys as teaching tools. We can teach them to be generous
and not overly fixated on things using what is dearest to them, toys. Every few
months we go through my kids’ rooms and pick toys to give away to kids who
don’t have toys. We don’t mandate that they pick certain toys, or any toys for
that matter. We simply explain how blessed we are and then give them the
opportunity to pick some toys to share with others. Each time we do this I’m
amazed that my kids don’t pick the shabby, torn up toys in the back of the
closet. When they think about sharing with others they want to share the good
toys. Kids are a lot more compassionate than we assume. Give them a chance to
prove it.
Once actual money starts coming into
the picture we have a few rules that we establish with our kids. First of all,
we treat allowance as a paycheck, not a freebie. If they want allowance this
week then they need to accomplish their chores. No chores = no allowance. That
may sound harsh, but isn’t that how the world works? One of the problems I see
quite frequently in our culture is that too many people have grown up getting
something for nothing, and as adults think they are still owed something for
nothing. Now, of course, when it comes to grace and fellowship with God we
absolutely get something for nothing. But everything else is to be worked for.
I don’t feel I’m doing my kids any favors by giving them an unrealistic view of
the world. In fact, I feel I am loving them better by setting them up for
success once they leave the house.
Next, as soon as we hand them their
allowance they get their 3 banks out. For every dollar in allowance they get
they take 10 cents out and put it in their Jesus bank, which goes to church to
give to missionaries. Then they take another 10 cents out and put in their
savings bank, which…is saved up. It’s not rocket science. The other 80 cents of
each dollar goes into their regular piggy bank. That money can be saved up or
spent. It’s up to them. Again, I’m amazed at my kids’ restraint and ability to
save their spending money for a toy they really want. I would expect them to
spend their 80 cents per dollar every single week, but they don’t. Kids
understand saving better than you would assume. They just need a chance to
prove it.
Another thing we do, or at least
attempt to do, is model joyful giving. My wife and I want to be careful to not
make this an issue of heavy obligation or burden. When we have a chance to
bless someone else, or give to a project that we feel is really important, we
bring our kids into the discussion about it. We want them to see us being
excited about giving. We want them to see that giving is more fulfilling and
rewarding than hoarding. So we let them know what we are doing and say things
like, “Can you believe we get to do this?! Isn’t it so great to get to help
like that?” Be careful to teach your kids that this
type of rejoicing is probably something best done just as a family since it
could come across as bragging if done too publicly.
I think these tips are a great start
to teaching kids about stewardship. However, the thing that will influence them
the most is the day in day out philosophy of money they see from you. So it’s
important that you make sure you are not modeling greed and selfishness 90% of
the time, and then trying to sit down and teach them about the joys of biblical
stewardship. As with every post I’ve shared so far the most important thing is
that you live what you want to teach. So don’t rely on spending money to
enjoy life or show love. Show them that love and enjoyment are readily
available without having to buy things or go on expensive trips. Go for walks,
wrestle, explore a forest, set an egg timer (do people still own egg timers?)
and talk for a half hour without technology…the options are endless. Just show
them what it looks like to not need more more more.
