Money, Anger and Your Child

Whether you’re a single parent or a loving pair, everyone has some sort of financial problems. It can be really tough to make ends meet, especially when you’re not just feeding yourself. Sometimes it can feel like you hang on with the tip of your fingernails and just pray that you make it til the next paycheck comes in.

So here you are carefully watching your budget, trying to make sure that you have enough to buy all your basic needs then your son or daughter loses the brand new shirt you just bought for his or her use. It seems like partial amnesia has set in and they can’t even retrace their steps so that you could try to look for it.

Anger takes over most people at this point. Before you lose your temper, please take deep breaths. Breath until you can speak calmly. Yes, it is annoying and drives you crazy that they can’t seem to grasp the value of money but here’s the thing. They will not be able to understand you if you talk with them while you’re angry.

Children can tune into your emotions very easily. The more they love you, the quicker they do it. When you rage they rarely listen. They just get overcome by fear.

For some parents, it won’t be easy to wait and keep your voice low and even. You’ll be amazed to find that the effect on your child lasts their lifetime. If you yell everytime they make mistakes, they learn to hide and never come to you when they need help for fear of judgement, both as children and as adults. On the other hand, if you treat them with respect and try to explain to them the root of your concern, you may be surprised at how deep your relationship will grow.

Take the opportunity to teach your kids the value of money right then and there. Don’t let the anger overwhelm you. Let your child know that you value them more than the money.