What Kids Need to Know About Giving

If you are committed to teaching your kids how the world operates, and you should be, teach them about money.

You can use financial principles to teach everything from math problems to social issues. That’s because money is about values, relationships, choices and self-worth.

And while teaching your kids important values to guide their lives is of the utmost importance, when all is said and done those values are more likely to be caught than taught.

You have to live what you teach.

If there is one thing that will ruin your kids’ lives, it’s greed. Teach them while they’re young how to pull the drain plug on greed, and you will have prepared them in a very important way to not only survive, but to also thrive in the real world.

Lesson for Kids: When you give, you defeat your enemy greed.

You know that twinge of envy you felt when your best friend showed you her cool new phone? Or when another friend said really loud at lunch how her dad is buying her a brand new car for her 16th birthday? Multiply that feeling by 10 and you’ll have a good idea what full-blown greed feels like. It’s not good.

The problem with greed is that it drives us to do things that are hazardous to our futures. Greed says it’s OK to have everything we want now and to figure out how to pay for it later. Greed is something everyone has to deal with at one time or the other, and the sooner you can learn how to defeat that enemy, the better off and happier you will be.

The antidote for greed is giving away part of the three T’s — your time, your talent and your treasure. Everyone, no matter how young or poor, possesses all three.

Time. You get 24 hours every day, 10,080 minutes or 604,800 seconds every week.

Talent. This is what you can do. Everyone has special talents, things they are good at doing.

Treasure. This is what you have, your possessions. It’s your money, and also your toys, clothes, collections — everything that you own.

Are you bewildered? If you have never been a “giver” it may seem quite odd for me to suggest you should just give away any of your time or your stuff. But that is exactly what I mean.

If you want to make sure you are never defeated by greed, learn to be a giver.

When you give to others it helps you to be grateful for what you have. Giving is the way to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Instead of misery, you feel joy. In place of dissatisfaction you find contentment.

Become a giver. It will greatly improve your life.