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Make It A Once-In-A-Life-Time Opportunity
Is there a chore that needs doing but don’t have the time to do it and it’s not one of the kids regular household chores? Would you be willing to pay someone else to do it?
That’s the kind of opportunity where your child can start to understand how to earn money by giving effort without creating the ‘pay me to work’ mentality.
Give the opportunity a time limit. Make it a true once-in-a-life-time opportunity:
“I really need to fix the pocket on these jeans but just don’t have the time, if you’d like to earn some money, you can sew it for me but you only have till the weekend to get it done. If it’s not done by then, I’m going to the local seamstress to get it fixed. Let me know if you’d like me to consider you for the job first. I would pay our seamstress $12/hour, so if it takes 15 minutes then that’s $3.00 you could earn.”
Give your child opportunities to make their own money. If they don’t take it, then they may regret that later when you follow through and get your seamstress the job:
“Yup, that’s right, I paid the seamstress to fix my pocket, it took her 30 minutes, so I paid her $6.00 for the job. The job is now gone. If you want another opportunity let me know and I’ll let you know when once comes up but I’m not going to wait for the work.”
Scarcity of time is a great tool for teaching. Regret of not earning the money, and jealousy that someone else got the job instead, can be great tools to teach your child to take an opportunity when presented and not to wait, cause life’s opportunities will pass you by and find another ready soul if you’re not ready for it.
OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE
See how your child reads that.
A PESSIMIST will read: Opportunity is Nowhere
An OPTIMIST will read: Opportunity is Now Here
The opportunity always exists, where it is, whether it’s nowhere or now here, is totally up to you!
That’s an important life lesson that our children need to understand if they are to succeed in life and live a life of abundance.
Abundance does not come by opportunity alone, but by those who take the opportunities!
Try this lesson on your child and don’t give them allowances to the opportunity. Set the limits and the consequences and then let them learn from them, either by being rewarded (doing the sewing and getting paid) or by the missed opportunity (giving the opportunity to the seamstress).
If they take the opportunity and are rewarded with the payment. They will feel good about themselves and about the reward. They will get a desire to find more opportunities: both to grab those that come their way but also to start looking for them everywhere.
If they don’t take the opportunity then they learn also. They learn how bad it feels to miss out; and when it feels bad enough, they will start to accept new opportunities and once they start that and feel the good feelings then they will elevate to the level of finding and then creating their own opportunities.
Even if you child needs to miss A LOT of opportunities, just keep on presenting them, keep on giving them limits and consequences, trust and keep on keeping on…one day the lesson will be learned.
Trust in the process!
This is your child’s financial future at stake here!
Don’t be weak and give into your child, feeling sorry for them, by saying things like, “oh that’s okay, I know you were busy, I’ll extend you another day.”
That’s the worst thing you can do! That only builds entitlement…the world will wait for me…attitude and WILL NOT prepare your child for a healthy financial future.
What opportunities are there in your home that you could give to your child?
Make it something outside of the normal chores.
As a member of your family your child needs to have ‘home jobs’ that are expected and not rewarded, other than happy sincere praise, so find something outside of the normal ‘chores’ to create opportunities for your child to learn and grow.
Create a Healthy Wealth Mentality in your child.
You can do it! Here’s to you and your child’s success in building a strong financial future with solid financial education that starts with opportunities at home!
Cheers…Amanda van der Gulik…Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
P. S. Did you find this article helpful? If so, then please help me empower more kids, teens and their families by leaving me your own comments below and clicking the ‘like’ button and ‘sharing’ it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. Thank-you for helping me empower more Healthy Wealth Mentality kiddos. We need them! 😀
“Together we can raise kids and teens who are money savvy and get to follow their dreams because they know how to handle and value their money…and not come back crawling home to mom and dad to get them out of financial trouble!”
