Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Three Little Words

It seems like three little words are often enough to keep you out of trouble. "Yes, thank you", "I love you", "I am sorry", and "Save your money". All are so important for making your life run smoothly, but I've been thinking about the last group lately.
When I was growing up and my brother or I would see something at the store that caught our eye, we acted as any normal kid does, we asked for it. It didn't matter to us if it was penny candy (yes, kids, stores really used to sell candy for one penny) or a large ticket item. My moms response was most often "save your money". I am so grateful now that she was teaching us such an important life lesson that many parents seem to have forgotten. Those three little words have saved me much pain.
"Save your money" keeps you from drowning in debt. It teaches you patience, perseverance, and the joy of anticipation. It teaches you the value of hard work, wise decision making, and shopping for deals. With those three words my mom was teaching us to set our priorities in life. We learned that you can have a very happy fulfilling life without having to own the latest styles, most up to date electronic gadgets, or newest car. We learned to appreciate what we did have because we knew the effort that went into obtaining it. I am so very grateful that mom loved us enough to speak three words instead of saying the one "yes".
Now that I am a mom, I understand how hard that must have been for her. It is much easier to put a smile on your child's face with a "yes". We all want our kids to be happy. But, maybe we should start wanting more for them. Maybe, as parents, we should want our kids to enjoy the sense of accomplishment they will get by working hard for something that they want in life. I wish that some of the parents of the Occupy Wallstreet group had put the effort into teaching this to their kids.

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