Top Down , Bottom Up!

At Moonjar we talk about the fact that learning is never a one-way street. We love it when we hear about kids coming home and teaching their parents about money and how they want to make a difference by Saving, Spending and Sharing.

I just wanted to share this story that came across my desk:



I bought a family set for my grandson for his 10th birthday, and he has become the "teacher" for his Dad, and his older and younger brothers. He is fully engaged in the "share" piece asking lots of questions about who, why or how  to share, and I offered an example from my community saying that a neighbor had a fire in their home and lots of people in town either brought them into their homes or gave money, clothes or food until we could have a "house raising" party to rebuild, to which his brothers and Dad reminded him about someone in their school that had suffered a similar experience. I told him I felt it was important to keep your sharing close to home so you know and can see the benefits of helping others, and then you can take time to do research about other causes that matter to you. I asked him to think about ways he might be able to share his stories at school or in Cub Scouts, and as he got more comfortable, that he might consider doing a presentation for the local Rotary or Lions Club, or even a local bank, to see if he might interest them in sponsoring him to run a program with their help to purchase the kits for his group, which he is thinking about now...

I am so glad for this program and  want to thank you for such a simple, yet wonderful idea. Kids get it, and want to learn and become independent in money matters. Jack's older brother immediately drew up a "contract" complete with terms and conditions for actually "earning" his allowance, and says he will email his progress to me. He was already on track about saving and bought himself a guitar with the money he had been saving since last February, but now he can incorporate saving (and NOT spending) and sharing to his skills. I am grateful for this wonderful program.

The clarity of the message is sgreat. It does not matter what the method is as long as the conversation is started and carried forward! Summer seems to be a great time to break open these ideas on car trips, at campfires, or where ever you find a moment.