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Why It’s Crucial To Teach Your Child To Give
by Dion Woods
Teaching your children how to create and manage
money is vital to their financial well-being as
adults. However, did you know that teaching them how
to give some of it away is vital to their success in
keeping money? There’s an ancient proverb that says,
“a man may give freely, and still his wealth will be
increased; and another may keep back more than is
right, but only comes to be in need.”
It almost seems a contradiction in terms that wealth
grows when some of it is given away to help someone
else. However, I’ve seen this principal work in my
own life and most recently in the life of my young
son. He loves to give in church. For some reason,
that no one can explain, he always seems to get
more. Whether it’s his grandparents who come by with
an unexpected blessing, or his own willingness to do
extra things to make money, he always seems to be
loaded. It’s hard to explain, but it’s undeniable
when you experience it. Giving produces benefit for
the one who works it.
Unfortunately, giving requires letting go. That’s
the challenge! We don’t want to let go of what we
have because we think we will be the worse for it.
However, such thinking couldn’t be farther from the
truth. The greatest things in life have come as the
result of what we’ve given away. Whether, it’s a
spouse to whom we gave our hearts or a child to whom
we gave our time, the reward always superseded the
effort. This is the essence of why it’s important to
teach children to give.
I realize that giving time and talent is one thing.
However, giving money is another. Nothing has the
ability to stir up the host of emotions that reside
in the human spirit like money. Whether it’s talking
about it, working to get more of it, or passing
judgment on those whom we feel have too much of it,
money is intricately tied to the way we view life.
The role of money is so important that the Bible
addresses this topic more than any other issue,
including forgiveness. Of particular interest is a
scripture that says, “Where a man’s (or woman’s)
treasure is, there his heart will be also.” In other
words, where we spend our money is a barometer for
where we are committed. For example, if I spend the
bulk of my earned income on golfing events, a new
sports car and other personal pleasures at the
expense of my family’s needs, I wouldn’t be
demonstrating my commitment to my family. My heart
would indict me (based upon the evidence of my
spending) even if my mouth continued to proclaim my
innocence.
Therefore, encouraging children to properly use
money represents more than just helping them create
a better financial future; it’s actually helping to
shape their hearts! For example, children who solely
use their money for personal needs are indirectly
training their hearts to be self-centered. With each
purchase, they are learning that their personal
desires are what matter most. As long as there is no
challenge to their ongoing personal purchases, their
own needs will reign supreme in their lives.
Likewise, children who hoard all their money in a
savings account in hopes of making it grow may find
it challenging to relinquish some of it in order to
help others. This is why teaching the importance of
giving at a young age is so critical. By the time a
child is a pre-teen, spending patterns are firmly
established and value systems are shaped.
Only when a child is taught the principles of
generosity, as exemplified by the act of giving
money away, is the real power of money released for
their good. Here’s the way it works. When a child
(or adult) gives away a portion of what they have
personally earned in order to help others, they
constrain the nature of greed that resists such acts
of kindness, which opens the door of abundance for
others to pour into their lives. Over time, such
acts of giving literally break the back of greed and
free a child to prosper in wholehearted generosity.
Look at great givers like Oprah Winfrey and Bill
Gates. Their giving has not only enriched the lives
of millions, but has literally released the power of
money to work for their own good. Even the founders
of Google understood that when you give something
away, you open yourself up to receive something much
greater in return. By giving away the services of
their search engine for free, they have enriched the
lives of billions of people who need access to
information on the Internet. In return, investors
have enriched the lives of these givers to the tune
of about $10 billion each. Strong proof of the
principle that it is better to give than receive!
The 3Piggie$® Savings System for Children recognizes
the importance of giving and has made it an integral
part of the financial learning process. Not only are
children required to save for giving with our
system; they are encouraged to carefully record and
monitor their giving. It’s our belief that, as
children continue to work these principles, they
will not only become the next generation of
philanthropists, but the world will be the better
for it as well. For more information about the
3Piggie$® Savings System, visit our web site at
www.3piggies.com.
Notice: This article is the intellectual property of
Next Level Concepts, Ltd. and no use in part or
whole in any media is permitted without the express
written agreement of the author. All Rights
Reserved: Dion Woods 2006.
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