It’s never too early to pass on the millionaire mind
November 1, 2007 – 6:32 pmMany parents wonder when and how they should start talking to their kids about money.
A participant at the financial skills course taping a couple of weeks ago wondered if it could hurt kids if parents brought up money too early.
From before your kids are old enough to understand the concept of trading a piece of paper or some coins for something they want, you are passing on messages about money.
These messages are part of the family wealth you pass on to your kids and it happens well before you die.
And whether you have millions or far less, you’d better be concerned about the messages you are passing on.
If you’ve got millions, you want to make sure the messages you are passing on don’t rob your child of the drive and ambition you have, which was likely cultivated out of necessity.
If you’ve got far less, you might feel as if you are struggling with making the kind of money you know is possible for you and wonder if you’d be more successful if you didn’t have such negative money beliefs.
Right now, be aware of your own unconscious money beliefs. Write down the first five things that pop into your mind when I say “Money ….”
Look at these beliefs you’ve written down and recall an experience that shaped and created this belief. How many other unconscious money messages did you receive?
* money is dirty
* money requires extremely hard work
* money is something to fight about
* money is complicated
* money is power
* money comes easily
* money is fun
* money makes sense
Which of these do you want to pass on to your kids? When you consciously consider the money messages you pass on to your kids, you can implant the messages you wish came naturally to you.
Most kids really get the concept of money around 7 and that’s a great time to start talking about it WITH INTENTION and UNDERSTANDING so you can pass on the money beliefs you want your children to have instead of the ones you would rather have not picked up yourself.
Next week we’ll talk about HOW to start talking about money with your kids.
© 2007 Alexis Martin (Neely)
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