Parenting Your Teenager: Kids and Money
Most teens go into the work world ill-prepared to manage the money they will be making. Even if their parents have attempted to teach them about money, they still haven't had the wonderfully frightening experience we have all had. You know the one: It's called ``getting to the end of the money before the end of the month.'' Here are some tips on teaching teens about managing the money they are about to make. Once they get a job, here's what to do. Have them take the very first pay check and ... blow it. You might have been expecting me to say save it, buy a savings bond or something else responsible. Here's why I suggest having them spend it: They get to experience the benefits of hard work and have some fun. After the first paycheck, here's how to handle every other paycheck, for the rest of their lives. I call this the 10 by 4 solution. With each and every paycheck, take 10 percent and put it in four different places. 1) First 10 percent: Pay yourself first. Put this 10 percent in some form of savings that you do not touch until you retire. Begin this when you're young, and it's amazing what can happen. If a person starts at age 21 and puts just $1,000 a year into some kind of savings that will gain at least a 10-12-percent return a year (this is very doable, by the way), and did this for only eight years until age 29, and then didn't touch it until age 65, he or she would have accumulated almost half a million dollars. 2) Second 10 percent: Give it away. If you are a person of faith, you've probably been taught to tithe. Whether it's tithing or simply giving to a favorite charity, giving away 10 percent teaches your brain an interesting thing: If I can give this away, there must be more than enough to go around. A nice way to feel. 3) Third 10 percent: Put this 10 percent toward getting rid of any debt that may have accumulated. 4) Fourth 10 percent: Save it up for something you really want. For many kids that's a car. Or maybe a trip, a stereo or some nice clothes. In this way, you are teaching your teen, from day one, how to live on 60 percent of his or her income, instead of the 110 percent that most of us live on. Visit ParentingYourTeenager.com for tips and tools for thriving during the teen years. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 5 day e-program on The Top 5 Things to Never Say to Your Teenager, from parenting coach and expert Jeff Herring.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Selecting A Quality Day Care Center
Many working families choose a commercial or individual day care center to care for their child during the workday. We've listed important aspects of a daycare center's environment to evaluate when making your choice:
Staff to Child Ratio. This is the number of children each staff member is responsible for. Most states regulate the minimum number of staff to child ratio. This will vary based on your state and the ages of the children. An average guideline follows, but check with your state department for what to expect in your area.
An infant room will have one to four or six staff to child ratio
A young toddler room will have a one to six or eight staff to child ratio
For 2s and 3s room, an eight to ten staff to child ratio is average
Children 4 and 5 years old average a one to ten staff to child ratio
Diaper Changing. There should be a dedicated area for diaper changing, equipped with sanitary diaper pad covering, disposable gloves, wipes and diapers and a dedicated waste receptacle for waste that is emptied on a regular schedule.
Sick Policy. Most daycare centers will require that a child sent home with a fever or after a bout of nausea or diarrhea be kept home for 24 hours. While it inconvenient for working parents, it is the safest practice to prevent contagious illnesses from spreading within a classroom. Some centers may have a separate infirmary and onsite nurse or share the operating costs with other centers in the area.
Discipline, Biting and Dismissal Policies. Find out how the center handles discipline and what the process is for misbehavior that affects other children, such as biting or hitting. As if there is an escalation process, what the coaching and dismissal policies are. You will want to know both sides in the event your child is the aggressor or the victim.
Feeding. Some centers serve prepared food and some have families bring lunches and provide morning and afternoon snacks. Find out if the daycare providers will heat up food in your child's lunches, if there is a refrigerator available, if they provide milk and filtered water for drinking and what kinds of snacks are served.
Supervised Lunch and Snacktime. The center you choose should support your nutrition preferences and provide healthy options served in a clean, supervised environment. Staff should use the opportunity to teach manners and model good eating habits. Ask about the center's policy on sharing food at the lunch table if your child has allergies.
Toilet Training. Some centers will help potty train your child, others require that the child be fully potty trained by a specific age. Your center should reinforce good bathroom habits, including wiping, flushing and thoroughly washing hands. Some centers also add brushing teeth to the regular routine.
Napping. Most young children benefit from regularly scheduled nap times during the day. Most centers will have young toddlers take a nap in the morning and one in the afternoon. Older toddlers and preschool age children may have one name in the afternoon after lunch. Ask whether you are responsible for bringing bedding or if it is provided. In the latter case, your child should have his own dedicated linens that are laundered each week.
Parent Visits. Parent visits should be welcomed throughout the day, whether announced or unannounced. There should be observation windows available for you to observe your child's day or you should be welcomed into your child's classroom.
Schedule. Hours of operation often play a key role in whether a center is acceptable simply by default of being available when you need them to be. Some centers have two tuition schedules, one for standard daycare (i.e. 9am ? 4pm) and extended daycare (i.e. 7am ? 6pm). Ask what the late policy is, whether you will have to pay on pick-up, if that payment must be in cash, etc.
Safety and Peace of Mind. Does the center have controlled access, with locked doors after the usual drop-off times? There should be a sign-in/sign-out process to account for each child. When you register, you should be asked to supply emergency contact information for yourself and partner, two people who can be contacted and take your child if either of you are not available. Some centers will also ask for an out-of-state emergency contact in the event of a regional emergency, like an earthquake.
Emergency Plan. If your area is prone to natural disasters like flooding or earthquakes, ask about your center's emergency plan ? how they will notify parents, where their evacuation location is, if there is a lockdown procedure.
Daily Status Reports. A daily status report will give you detailed information about your child's day, including feeding times, diaper changing information and activities during the day. This is especially important for infants and young toddlers.
Classrooms. Children love rooms that are bright, cheerful and full of visual stimulation created by creative artwork, children's projects and family pictures.
Classroom curriculum. Each classroom should be equipped with age appropriate activities, equipment and toys to stimulate your child's development in fine/gross motor activities, sensory and cognitive skills, language development, number concepts, music and art.
Bonuses and Special Touches
Emailed Progress Reports and Photos. Many daycare centers are now emailing daily progress reports with information about activities and care routines like eating, napping and diapering to parents. Some centers also take photos of your child during the day and post them to an intranet you can access securely with a username and password.
Extra Curricular Activities. On-site enrichment classes are usually an additional charge to the monthly tuition and can take place during regular school time or after school so parents can partake in the experiences with the child. Activities can include dance, gymnastics, martial arts, Spanish, basketball and computers.
A Dangerous Environment
The internet is a dangerous place for your children. Don't even begin to believe that your child is safe. There are more dangers than you can possibly imagine waiting to lure children to their doom. You had better be aware of what's happening and take steps to shield them from the danger ... if you don't, your child's sanity and safety are at serious risk.
Homeschooling Takes Your Child Out of Public School --- A Unique Benefit
Home-schooling removes children from public school. That alone makes home-schooling worthwhile. Unlike public-school children, home-schooled kids are not prisoners of a system that can wreck their self-esteem, ability to read, and love of learning.
Tools to Find Family-Friendly Content
The Internet, is magnificent in its resources for families. Educational resources abound. Kids can easily find help for their homework blues without venturing to the library. Kids can chat with friends from far away for free; friends who, probably just a few years ago, they would never hear from again. And, of course, there's plenty of entertainment to satisfy the whole family once the chores and homework are complete.
Drinking and Driving: Will Your Child Become a Statistic?
Just two days ago, another 15-year old child was added to the overwhelming statistics of drunk-driving, related deaths. One minute, he's full of vitality and attending our local high school, the next his unsuspecting parents are identifying him in a local morgue. The harsh reality of this brutal scenerio is sometimes very difficult to comprehend.
Ultimate Airplane Themed Games & Activities for your Childs Birthday Party
Are you looking for the Ultimate Airplane Themed Party Games and Activities? Well stop looking because they are right here...
Awesome Dads Top Ten Ways To Be The Foundation of Your Family
Part of the responsibility of being a father is to establish a strong foundation for the family. Just like a building foundation, much of this work goes unseen and rarely gets acknowledged, yet the strength and integrity of the entire structure relies on it. The following intentions, although not always perfectly fulfilled, give us guidance in our mission.
Your Kids Career - Whose Choice?
A strange thing happened to me today. Or more precisely, a
strange thought occurred. You see, my eldest son
helped me install a new kitchen. He was the expert handyman.
Me? Well, I was the 'gofor'. "Dad, could you go for
this?" "Dad, will you go for that . . ."
Can Mineral Deficiencies Lead to Behavioral Problems in Children?
A while ago I received this story from David in England, who wrote:
Shopping with Children
Is your weekly shopping trip with the kids an absolute chore ! or are you happy to take them along?
Does Your Child Need A Bedtime Routine? - Yes!
Do you struggle to get your child to bed at night? We sure did with our daughter. She would refuse to go to sleep in her bed and wanted to hang out with us until we were ready for bed and of course then she would want to sleep in Mama's and Daddy's bed.
Parents - Create An Emotionally Healthy Connection With Your Child
"I could have helped you if I would have known, I'm your mother. I protect you against everybody in this world. I never thought to protect you from yourself." This was a headline in a local newspaper. Her daughter had committed suicide the night before. The mother involved must be going crazy with grief as she thought she knew her child so well. But sometimes we don't and sometimes we get caught off guard by believing that we do.
Parental Internet Control Tips
The Internet is one of the greatest inventions of all time. Parental Internet Control will protect our loved ones from internet filth like pornography and hate material just a click away. The fact that every stranger in the world has access to your child, right in your own home is scary enough. exercising some kind of Internet Control will protect the people you love from the tens of thousands of troubling sites on the Internet.
Two Means Trouble
You have two kids who are 14 months apart. How cute, they look alot alike...are they twins? One is taller and more mature than the other, so that can't be.
How Useful Are Bed Wetting Alarms
Whenever parents discuss how to deal with bed wetting, the topic
of alarms inevitably gets raised. Bed wetting alarms can be useful
devices, but in spite of the popularity with which they get
discussed, they should not really be considered a first line option.
Bed wetting alarms are highly useful, but they are probably only
worthwhile once you have tried a few other methods.
Visiting the Library
Libraries offer more than books. They are places of learning
and discovery for everyone. Ask at the library about
getting a library card in your child's name and, if you don't
already have one, get a card for yourself.
How to Handle Child Tantrums?
Child tantrums are a way for children to express their feelings and thoughts. Child tantrums are common in young children. Children below the age group of 4 are the most affected by child tantrums. They may not know how to express their anger and frustration. Hence they throw tantrums when they need to express. Different methods are used to handle child tantrums. Parents can use methods like isolating the child for the time they throw tantrums and ignoring the tantrum when they want to handle child tantrums.
Fraternal Twin Parenting Concerns
Identity and Your Fraternal Twin
Marriages May End But Families Are Forever
It was at that time when our marriage was falling apart and we completely hated each other when we needed to work constructively as parents, as our child's world was crumbling too.
Thirteen Values You Can Teach Through Homework
Are you a parent concerned about passing values on to your kids?
Do you worry that you can't find the time, or don't know how?
You don't need thirty-minute multi-media presentations!
You can do it with homework.
In those precious moments you spend supervising your child's
homework, here are thirteen values you can subtly pass on:
|
