You’re in the grocery store. And your 10-year-old comes face-to-face with a display of Pokémon cards at the check-out line.
“Can I get some Pokémon cards?” your child says.
You say “no”- without giving an explanation. Or maybe you say, “you’ve got enough Pokémon cards.”
It might better (and maybe a little bit harder) to directly say, “Sorry, buddy, we can’t afford that.”
Most of us must make financial tradeoffs, and there’s no shame in that. We all work hard to earn our money, but that does not mean we can buy everything. That’s fine and that’s life.
It’s OK if your child learns that lesson early. Owning the fact most of us live on a budget is powerful. After all, the desire for Pokemon cards is short-lived. But building solid financial habits last a lifetime.
