The rod and a rebuke give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother. Proverbs 29:15
“Don’t forget one of the most effective forms of child abuse: parents giving their children whatever they want.”
Randy Alcorn in Lord Foulgrin’s Letters (Multnomah Books, 2001) 29.
Don’t wait to teach kids about their role as stewards. Help children discern the difference between wants and needs. I think it was my great grandfather who said, “I have everything I need because I have learned to control my wants.” I thank my parents for echoing that to me.
What should you teach them? Help them learn to spend (they don’t need help learning this), to save (learning not spend everything that comes to them but setting aside money to create margin for giving and for larger purchases with cash) and to share (that the giving part).
If you have already raised your children, think how you could pass on these ideas to your grandchildren. To fail to do this is an effective form of child abuse, because in stewardship terms, the children never grow up. Start today. Don’t give your children everything they want.