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You’re the Secret Sauce to Your Family’s Prosperity
Growing Up
Growing up, for the most part, I had a happy childhood. Looking back on it, I had it made. I had a roof over my head and food on the table. We never went without anything that we needed. We did go without luxuries, but it took me a while to even find out what luxuries were. All in all, I would give my parents gold stars for how they raised me.
As a child, my parents were the meanest people on the face of the earth, in my opinion. I questioned whether or not they even loved me at all. When I say my parents, I really mean my father. I knew my mother loved me, but sometimes she took HIS side.
I mean really, he would kick open my bedroom door on a Saturday morning in his camouflage pants and scream, “GET UP TROOPS!” Ugh! Seriously dude! Why are you so excited? Literally, my brother and I felt like unpaid workers in the Croom household. I think my parents brought us into the world just so we could do their manual labor. I remember when I first watched the movie Cadence with Charlie Sheen, I related so much.
For fun, my brother and I would sing that song as a kind of protest to my father while we worked in the yard.
“That’s the sound of the man, working on the chain GANG!”
Of course, my father couldn’t care less, and for the most part, he ignored us. Maybe he didn’t; maybe, the more we sang that song, the longer he made us work—who knows. Working was an all-day event and an every weekend thing.
Of course, as a kid, as dumb as it sounds, you question whether or not the parents who are putting food on the table and clothes on your back really love you. In my infinite childhood wisdom, I was positive that I was unloved.
However, there were moments in my life, where I realized that my parents really did have my back. It took me until my teenage years to really see this. My dad, of course, spent a lot of time at work and worrying about money, but both my parents attended my games, and they always showed support. To this day, I know, when I need them, they will be there.
We do want the same for our children, right?
Let me tell you something—you are the secret sauce to your family’s prosperity. Your time with them is valuable. I, personally, am making an asserted effort to have my kids understand that I have their backs way before they become teenagers. I don’t want there to be a doubt. They may doubt me from time to time because teenagers doubt everything, but I want them to know in their core that I am their ride-or-die.
The only way I know to convince your kids is to add a little bit of you in the sauce. You’ve got to put the time in with your kids. Childhood is the time to create healthy habits for kids. This means you have to be very guarded about your time and where you direct your focus.
The focus should always be on the family and creating meaningful family habits. Not only should you be guarded with your time, but also be guarded with your money. Because when your money isn’t right, you tend to want to give your time to get more money; this is not conducive to establishing a healthy family. Once you start giving your time for money, you are not making the investment you probably should be making with your kids.
This is very important.
Studies have shown that children who are unwanted or unloved are the ones who cause the most troubles in our communities. If you think about it, these children are rudderless. They are left to figure it out for themselves, and in their infinite childhood wisdom, they may find themselves going in circles. The way you show love to your children is crucial to their self-esteem. If your money is right, you can worry less about finances and make incremental changes in your life to help steer your children in a better direction.
What if you don’t like your job? Well, how much money do you and your family need to live? Do you really need to live in the house that you live in? Are the big vacations to Europe necessary? Do you have to have all name-brand clothes?
Can you and your family generate a list of family habits you’d like to eliminate? Maybe, you can create a healthy habits list to integrate.
Making Adjustments
What adjustments can you make to ensure that you create a great relationship with your family? You are the only one who can create your desired family lifestyle. You are the most critical influence on your family, whether you are the mom or the dad. Your family needs your time to achieve prosperity. When you spend time with your family, you will find out your family’s actual wants and desires. Once you figure that out, I believe, that you will understand that some of the things that you are spending your money on are not things that your children really want.
What they want is their parents paying attention to them, and showing them that they are loved and that they are important.
Learn more about how to take control of your budget so that you can focus on your family’s prosperity by purchasing my book The Financial Effect.
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