This is day 13 of the 30 Days of Financial Affirmations challenge. If you missed any of the previous days, check out the overview page for links to the other affirmations.
Our relationship with money is shaped way before we even start to make it. Do you remember seeing the members of your family paying bills, or even going off to work when you were little? Was it a happy experience for them, or did you see them fret and worry each time? I’m guessing the latter.
As a child, how do you think that affected you? You saw money as something that caused stress in the people you loved, so you had a bad connotation of how it worked in the lives of grown ups. This could have also prompted you to make as much as you could, once you grew up, so your family wouldn’t have to worry about bills. Either way, it shook something in you.
Just last month, we had our 9 year old son start to really worry about money for some reason. He was trying to find dollar bills around the house, asking to do more chores to make money, and he even started carrying his earned money in his pocket everywhere we went. We knew something was going on with him, so we had a quick discussion with him about it. He told us that he wanted to save as much money now so once he had a wife and kids, they wouldn’t have to worry about where the money would come from bills.
What? We were shocked when we heard this. Where was he getting this idea from? Turns out, he stayed up late one night at the beginning of the month, and heard my husband and I have our monthly meeting about bills. It’s never a pleasant meeting, but we do it every month so we know where each dollar is going, and that we don’t have to worry about how bills will get paid during the month. I admit, if an outsider was spying on our meetings, it would sound like a heated debate. To a 9 year old, it would sound like mommy and daddy were stressing over money.
How can we remedy this? We’ve talked to him about why we have our meetings, and we’ve both decided to let him sit in on the next one. We want him to see that it’s not worry that he was hearing but determination. Each month, we’re determined to make the money that we earn count. As children, my husband and I also had issues with money after seeing how it affected our parents and family members. We don’t want that to pass down to our children.
The real relationship with money is found in the generations. Now is the perfect time to break the cycle.
Here’s your affirmation for today:
My family’s financial past will not be my family’s financial future.
That’s all. This is a big affirmation, and today’s task will be just as big. Think back to a time when you were younger, and started to actually think about earning or saving money. What it something that excited you, or did it cause you to worry? Has that feeling followed you into adulthood? Reflect on these questions, and we’ll use those memories in a task scheduled for the last 10 days of the challenge.
Because of my TDY, I’m playing catch-up with this series. 😀 Anyhow, I remember there being stress when the envelopes with windows would come in the mail, when I was little. I don’t remember any of the conversations that I may have overheard but, looking back now, I have to wonder why my parents decided to put in a pool if we had so many bills. Hard to believe that was more than 30 years ago. I do remember being super excited that it was in and filled in time for my birthday that year.
When my parents split, one’s lifestyle got worse and the other got better. It’s all very odd, how life works out.
I’m so glad you’re back! I totally agree about seeing the stress in my parents’ eyes when those envelopes came into the home. It’s amazing how we’re able to sit down and remember certain parts of our childhood that actually revolved around our parents’ relationship with money and bills. Once we do so, it’s much easier to break the cycle.