teenage years at a cost of serious physical injury,
usually at the hands of a much stronger person. I'd rather my
children learn at an early age when the price is much more
affordable.
I met a parent who always likes to loan money to her children
when they are young. She says that it is a great opportunity for
the youngsters to learn about responsibility and the way that
our banking system works. She expects the child to sign a
promissory note, provide collateral just the same as an adult
would do at the bank and pay the loan off by a certain date. She
is actually training and preparing her children for the real
world.
Recently she repossessed a tape recorder when her son did not
pay off his loan on time. She said that it really hurt her to
have to take the tape recorder. However, her statement that was
most convincing to me was, "My son is really lucky. Here he is,
only ten years of age, and he knows so much more about the
responsibility of paying back loans, collateral, and even
repossessions. All it cost him was a $29.00 tape recorder. It
was a bargain."
She added, "My neighbor's boy learned the same lesson at the
age of twenty-six when the bank repossessed his $2,900.00 car.
My son had a sixteen year head start on the neighbor boy. Now he
has an additional piece of wisdom to carry him through life."
His life will be better in the long run as a result of this
lesson.
It's painful to watch our kids learn through natural
consequences. That pain is the price we pay to teach our
children.
We either hurt as we watch our children learn through life's
natural consequences, or we hurt as we watch them grow unable to
take good care of themselves.
Jim Currie, Principal
Spring Creek School
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