Today, Bethel watched her big brother put his quarter for the offering in his shirt pocket, and she wanted to do the same, and I watched as she deftly pulled out her shirt and dropped it in. Thankfully I was able to retrieve it in time for the offering.

It reminded me that I’ve been thinking of a response when the kids ask to buy something. Typically, my response is, “No, we don’t have the money for that right now.” The problem is, often, it’s not a matter of not having the money.  I started thinking that I needed an honest response, but as I thought on this matter, I realized the problem was much more than not being totally honest. What I’m communicating with this response is that the only thing that keeps me from buying what I want is… not having enough money. So much for wisdom and stewardship! So I’ve been trying to say “That’s not a wise use of money right now” or something like that.

I’d like to do some more thinking about money and children, but I’m off to church, and then we’ll be going camping for the next few days. I should be back on Wednesday.

Similar Posts:

• A Motivation Challenge
• Money and Kids
• Money Transparency with Children
• Wisdom Wednesday
• Prayer and Child Development

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