Cat’s in the Cradle
Tell me a story about your first memory of money and the role it plays in life.
When I crafted this question for the Walden Roots intake survey, I had no idea of depths it would reveal.
It has turned out to be one of the most characterizing questions in the Walden repertoire, revealing a pivotal point at which a mental framework for financial behaviors was formed that would endure throughout a person’s entire life.
I’ve heard stories about piggy banks that were always empty. There are tales of baseball cards, paper routes, bubble gum, soda pop. There are memories of recognizing who had the best shoes on the sports team or the new designer jeans. Some deeply personal revelations are about Mom always crying when we talked about money or Dad struggling to find work.
At Walden Financial, enriching our clients lives by inspiring them to live with intention and purpose includes bringing an awareness to how our current financial behaviors are carving shapes in our children’s hearts and minds.
How are you teaching your children the true meaning of wealth? What financial education do you want to instill in them as part of their personal growth? What financial behaviors are you indulging in that could become their “first memory of money” someday?
Harry Chapin reminds us “. . .but there were planes to catch, and bills to pay. He learned to walk while I was away. And he was talking ‘fore I knew it, and as he grew. He’d say “I’m gonna be like you, dad. You know I’m gonna be like you.”
