For many families in the US, speaking about money with their kids is still a taboo. The adults make money, the kids ask for them to use them and that is the end of the story. Financial experts are of the opinion that understanding credit and consumerism is equally important for the adults as well as for the kids. Not raising the financial consciousness among the kids may make them ignorant about their finances and this may lead them to fall deep into the debt cycle. Though the debt reduction companies are there to assist you in coming out of debt, yet it is always better to take certain steps to stay sure about your finances. Educating, empowering and motivating children to become investors and savers are necessary to increase the number of financially responsible citizens in the US. Have a look at some steps that you may take in order to teach your kids about finance.

1. Communicate about the concerns of money: You’re not the only person to earn and they are not only responsible for spending what you earn. They have all rights to know about the importance and significance of money in our lives. They must know why it is important to save money and make it grow. They must also know the significance of spending money wisely so as to make it sure that they have enough funds for the near future.
2. They should be taught the difference between needs and wants: Unless you teach your kids about the difference between the needs and the wants, they can never make good spending decisions when they grow up. The present economy is already in a tumultuous position and you must make sure that you don’t concentrate more on getting things that you want rather than what you need. Needs are those things that are your basic necessities and therefore you must have enough money to buy such things. Instead of spending more money on your wants or those that you can do without, you must get your necessities.
3. Make them set financial goals: You must be giving them allowances in a particular month. Make sure you set some financial goals for them so that they know what it takes to achieving the goals and what the outcome is. Take them to the shop and make them buy their own things with their own money so that they know how to prioritize their expenses in order to make ends meet and reach their financial goals.
4. Open a bank account for them: You can even open a bank account for them for making them acquainted with the proceeding of a bank. Tell them why it is important to create a savings account and save money for the future. There can be any unforeseen financial urgency and if you don’t have enough money to support you, you may have to rush to companies for taking out loans. Taking out loans make you liable to repay the amount with interest rates and therefore, you must avoid such situations.

Apart from the ABCs of Do-Re-Mi, your kids must also know how the US economy works and what the importance of money within the economy is. They must also be acquainted with the debt reduction firms but also tell them it is always better to manage their own finances than rush to professional debt help companies.

Samantha Spuckler is a writer for various finance related Communities including Debt Consolidation Care. She is a financial writer by profession and has specialization in dealing with financial problems and its solutions.  She is well equipped to write articles on debt consolidation, savings, planning, frugality, debt settlement etc.

The day April 30th, 2006 was a great and important one for our family. Our daughter Elena was christened. On the same day and at the same time my niece, Milana, was christened too. That day I was playing two roles simultaneously: as a father for Elena and as a godfather of Milana. I believe the day changed both my daughter and me – we grew a bit spiritually.

It is considered that a new born baby is clear from sins, and it is true for his or her first forty days. Orthodox Church proposes to christen when a baby is between 8 and 40 days old (you can read more at Wikipedia about christening (infant baptism)). Both Elena and Milana were older, so they first of all were doing away with their sins during christening ceremony. What kind of sins can a two-month baby commit? Telling lies? Wasting her nature talents? Being fussy? I believe such ceremonies have more influence on involved adults. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and marvelous action. 7 children with their parents and godparents were invited into a specific room of the Temple (by the way, there were 6 brides and only one groom ). There were a lot of prayers and devotions and the climax of the ceremony – dipping into holy water, christening by itself.

This day Elena made her first step on the road of spiritual growth. Has she felt any changes in your vision of reality? I don’t know. However I can confidently say – every day she changed a little, and that day was the day of significant change. Just because it greatly influenced the people of her environment: me, her mother, her godparents and the other involved relatives.

October, 2005 I signed a contract with myself that I would be committed to personal development. During the christening day and some days before I was thinking, how I will teach my daughter and my niece to grow spiritually. In spite of the fact that parents are people who are responsible for their children the most, starting from April 30th my responsibility was doubled. And I am happy with that, because it is what I can manage to do. The spiritual growth of my daughter and my niece is in a circle of my influence.

Can people do without christening? Yes, certainly they can. It is much more important to be developed spiritually. Our lives can be considered in four different aspects: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Keeping all of them in balance is the main requirement for true happiness. It is common nowadays to forget about spirituality and set focus on other sides of life, first of all physical or material one. Ritual of christening recalls parts of soul, increasing a commitment to such human values as kindness, faith, bliss, care, harmony, charity, frankness, humility, justice, piety and sacredness. Which of these values are the most important for you?