Investing in your Children

No one said parenting is easy. Nor is it cheap.

There are countless decisions to be made.

How many activities do you enrol your child in?

Should you send them to a specialized school or put them in an enrichment program?

Should you pay to send your kids to camp or on the school trip to Europe?

I was having this conversation with my neighbour who has successfully raised several children and now has teen-aged grandchildren.

I was talking with her one morning about my boys and whether I should consider enrolling them in a private school, as I knew they would thrive there. I was also bemoaning the fact that I wasn’t sure if I could afford to do so – or not to do so.

Her advice was so wise that I had to share it.

“Your children are going to turn out fine whatever decision you make.”

“With regard to money, you have to decide how to spend your money on your children. Is it better to spend your money on them now when they are young, or is it better to save that money for later when they are older and may need that money for university or specialized training?”

There is no right or wrong answer. You need to decide for yourself how you will invest in your children.

Then, she told me a story about her son. He phoned his mom to talk about his two teen-aged children. One was invited on an international school trip, and another to study in a top-notch program. Both were going to cost a lot of money.

She gave her son the same advice that she gave to me.

“How do you want to invest in your children?”

The next day, to her door, was delivered a big bouquet of flowers with this note from her son:

Thank you for all the times that you invested in me.

Just love your kids and trust yourself.