The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-07-07
Growing With Your Child
University of Minnesota, Institute of Child Welfare

to spend money. Don't you think
children of these ages need some train
ing in the use of money!"
The writer of this letter doesn't make
it clear why the children's father dis
approves so heartily of the childrens
having any money to spend, but the
reason probably lies back somewhere in
the fathers childhood. Most opinions
that are strongly adhered to, about
which we won't listen to reason, are the
outgrowth of experiences that warped
us in the direction We now tend to
take. For example, father who as
youth had to work very hard for all he
got, who was deprived of education and
encouragement, very often determines
that his son shall never have such dis
heartening experiences, and SO lavisheS
everything heart could desire on his
son, not always with good results.
The father in question is very set
in his belief that the way he is bring
ing up his little girls in the right"
way. Let's see what some of the re-
suits may possibly be. Some children,
when never allowed to have penny to
spend as they please, get to the point
of desperation when they see other
children having money of their own.
A child who feels this lack very keenly,
sometimes, in self defense, takes to
Dragging about how liberal his father
is. When the time comes, as it will
come sooner or later, when he has to
show the crowd that he is not just
telling tall tales, he may be forced to
take some money in order to prove his
point. How Mortified his father is
then!
Another thing that such rigid ruling
sometimes leads to is that the children
so resent the fathers behavior that they
may tend not to confide in him, but to
try to get things out of their mother,
and have them kept secret from the
father. Try as the mother may, it
will be hard for her, if she really SYM
pathizes with the children, not to
encourage this deceitful behavior by her
attitude.
But one thing the father evidently
has not though of looms up as i'm
portant to the girls future. When they
grow up, they are certainly going to
need to know how to spend money
wisely. Without practice in childhood,
without the salutary lesson of making
mistakes that seem tragic at the time,
but are not really momentouS because
they involve such small sums, how are
these girls going to be prepared to buy
for their families, to plan their house
hold expenses, to budget the money
that shall go for clothes, food, rent,
education, and so on. What person
does not have in his early experience
some piece of folly that reminds him
time and again throughout life of the
desirability of taking thought before
spending? How much better to get
these unhappy experiences out of the
way, as much as possible, in ones
early years, before the amount of money
involved is large!
In the present day, when women
are to a very great extent the buyers
for their families, girls need all the
training they can get in laying out
money sensibly. These little girls, if
they never have money to spend as they
please, are doubtless piling up banker
ings which they may give vent to later
in foolish spending. If they did have
small allowance they might be learn
ing to buy their own stockings and
shoes, making decisions between going
to a movie this week or saving their
money toward the circus next month.
AS it is, these decisions are all being
made by the parents, and the girls are
getting no practice in relying on their
own judgment.