Teaching children: budgeting

[shootingstar]

I do get annoyed when there is a strong perception that kids from poor families are deficient ..in many different ways. That they are deprived of certain experiences.

True I did not go on any overnight trips..my parents just weren't into camping. We only went on day trips by car to Toronto/southern Ontario for the day.. several times per year.

I never travelled beyond until I started to earn money. So yes, later cycle-touring has given me some amazing experiences. Now I've travelled enough to have seen parts of my own country, more than some of my friends.

True, there was no money to enroll me in art classes, no music lessons for any of us, no courses for anything for anyone in family as kids. But academically, we were scoring in the top 10-15% in school. Yes, I got into furious debates about getting art supplies, which parents eventually relented. Over time, they realized it was wiser to have allow this, since they knew it kept me busy, happy and occupied at home.

So it was resorting to outdoor play, the library, sewing our own clothes (to remain fashionable), later, cheap coffee with friends, etc. Life was not easy, but not horrible. If my parents continuously ragged on how poor we were, then it would have been a complete drag.