Parents are teachers by default. We teach our children how to walk and talk, how to work and play, how to give and take. We also teach them our habits (good and bad), fears (healthy and unhealthy), and much of the intricacies that make us who we are. I don't know how many times I've heard the phrase, "You are your father's son," or "You are your mother's daughter." What we do as examples sticks a lot more than we realize sometimes. And sometimes we influence our kids in ways we didn't consider.
For example, the parent who won't allow their teenager to go on the school trip because they will be flying and the parent is afraid of flying. In the teen's mind, "Flying should be an awesome experience, but I won't know that until I'm out of this house." Then, once that teen is out of the house and on their own, they develop an intense fear of flying because they don't know what to expect and it just seems crazy that a machine that big can get up in the air and stay there and what if it crashes and we're all gonna die and...
On the other hand, we do teach our children good things. Let's say the same parents have always been very frugal and responsible with money, saving what needs to be saved, spending only what needs to be spent, investing enough to make the money work for them instead of them working for the money, and giving enough away to make a huge difference. The teen has always seen money treated this way and learns by watching Mom and Dad to follow suit. As a result, the teen grows up to be a responsible and generous adult who teaches his children to handle money the same way.
So, now it's time to take stock of the example we set.
What are you teaching your children?
Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate
