Its a tough one but in all honesty, money is something that will dictate our lives at quite an early age in any event.
With technology i.e. computers becoming the norm, so much is now geared towards the latest iPod, XBox and WiFit and most households now have such a gadget which do not come cheap.
I bring this up as when children are small, it should be taught about the value of money and how important it is to save.
In my childhood, I remember getting pocket money and compared to today’s value, it was a lot and I remember having a savings account. I say this as although my pocket money was substantial in terms of today’s value, it was not a lottery win, but equally having saved up over a number of months and years, at a young age it seemed like a lot of money. (The lottery when I was a child was not even around). I think the “football pools” was the nearest to a lottery win or going to bingo, which my parents never did.
Financial aid is already given to our children in many forms, to clothe and feed and assist in private school education in some cases.
I heard on the radio the other day about Sean Connery not leaving a penny of his millions to his one and only son. Now to some people this may seem a bit harsh, but again we do not know what Sean Connery has given to his son throughout his life and also there may be circumstances that make Sean Connery think “why should I give my son anything” if the son has proven to be a bit of a so and so throughout his life.
Giving out vast sums of financial aid to children is just no way to deliver a message of working for the money. I will expand on this a bit. In some families money is no problem and some children are very lucky that their parents do not have to scrimp and save to get on in this very tough world.
Now you could say if the parents are scrimping and saving all the time for their children, why on earth did they have kids if they could not afford to have them, well its a subject again for Helium to raise perhaps, but money should not be the main issue for having children.
Anyway getting back to the subject in hand, most parents will attend to their children’s needs financially right up to the point when the child leaves school and if the sums are calculated over the period of time then this alone is a small fortune, but as I said before, money should not be the main issue for having children, but it just points out a fact that a vast sum is paid out during the child’s time at living at home.
Situations in a lot of families lives throughout the time children grow up at home change, i.e. parents jobs, economic climate etc and whilst finances in some households will remain readily available, there should be a plan B for when times are not so good and I think that this adoption of attitude towards leaner times should be geared towards the children and so that they understand that sometimes you just have to wait for financial aid.
Also where does it say that you have to offer financial aid to your children at any point in their lives?
Some children go to on be more financially better off than their parents in the first place.