You’re working hard to teach your kids the value of a dollar. It’s one of the most important parts of being a parent. In teaching your kids the value of that money, though, have you also been teaching your kids how to keep that money safe and secure? This is a little bit harder to do. You don’t want to scare your kids, but you also don’t want them to grow up to be lackadaisical about what they’ve got on hand.
Money and keeping that money safe go hand-in-hand with general awareness and security. Here are a few tips on how to merge the two into useful, teachable lessons for you and your household.
Lesson 1: Bragging is Bad
Your kids might be really excited to have saved up a bunch of money, or to have saved up and purchased something special. It’s understandable that they would want to tell everybody about their accomplishment. But just as you know not to tell everybody at work about the most recent major purchase for your home, teaching your kids that telling the whole world how much they have saved up (or how much that new toy cost) isn’t a good idea is important. Not everybody has the best of intentions and jealousy can make people do terrible and hurtful things.
Lesson 2: Keep Valuables at Home
You know not to to keep your valuables in your desk at work because you have no way of keeping them safe while you attend meetings. Your kids might love that toy they saved up to buy with all their heart, but it’s not a good idea to let them take it to school to show off. Explain that they’re welcome to invite friends over to play with the new toy, but that it needs to live at home. Talk about how home is safer than a desk or cubby at school. Talk about how, at home, they won’t have to worry about someone playing with the toy without asking permission the way they will at school.
This can be a really dicey subject. Kids have big imaginations and you don’t want them to suddenly worry about the safety of everything they own, even when they leave it at home and in their rooms. It can help to assuage fears before they grow out of control to talk about your home’s security system. It might even be helpful to show them the different types of securities that homes have through a site like www.homesecuritysystems.com.
Do not be surprised, though, if this route makes them want to install a system on their school desk and cubby. After all, didn’t you want to booby trap your desk that time your phone got up and “walked off?”
Lesson 3: Staying Safe at Home
Talking about how precious possessions are safer at home is a great way to segue into teaching your kids how to keep the house as safe as possible—even when they are in it. Talk to them about remembering to lock doors behind them when they come in. Teach them to ask who is at the door before they open it. If they are old enough to stay at home alone, remind them not to tell people who call or stop by that they are there alone. Teach them to say “my Mom is busy right now but I can take a message” or “Dad is busy with a project but I’ll tell him you stopped by.”
The best way to do this is by example. Don’t let strangers in, even if they look friendly. Do not mention that you are alone with the kids when someone stops by or calls. Practice the same rules that you teach your kids so they can see them in action, being a good role model is a great way to get your kids to practice the lessons you teach.
Remember to go slowly. Kids are impressionable and can easily blow something out of proportion. It’s easy to accidentally scare your kids when you teach them about keeping their things, their home and themselves safe. Remind them how safe they already are and help them understand that you’re teaching them to maintain a level of safety, not create one.
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