Budgeting: A Parent’s Opportunity to Shine

April 23, 2023 SuzanneLeave a comment

Write about your approach to budgeting.

My approach is simple. If there’s something you want and if you have the money and if it’s something necessary then…yes, go ahead and fit it into the budget. Otherwise…

“The best and surest way to save money is… Don’t Spend!”
A tried and proven method…LOL

Back on topic: Why is this a parenting moment?

Helping children develop vital life skills is an important aspect of parenting. No argument. Money management should be included on a parent’s To Do List.

Why? Answer: Kids will benefit, throughout the course of their lives, if they grasp the basic concepts of budgeting early in life.

The discussion…

The finer points of budgeting by example: Obviously food is kind of necessary so it needs a consistent, fixed spot on The Budget. However, even “food” is too broad a term when it comes to budgeting.

Things to consider…

Nutrition and real food
Pantry staples necessary for home cooked meals
Junk food (ah, not on my list but for some it’s a necessity, go figure)
Special occasions

If a necessity such as food must be evaluated…then think about how crucial it is to prioritize everything else.

Consider that many things can’t be eliminated, adjusted, or even tweaked from the budget.

Such expenses could be your rent/mortgage, car payments, heating, and etc.
These costs must have a fixed place

Then there’s the dreaded credit cards and credit card debt. Ugh!

Simply don’t go there, unless it’s an emergency. “To save and/or to stick to The Budget = No unnecessary spending on credit!”

By design, borrowing, via credit, is for emergencies but somehow we’ve taken it to the point of necessity… the “got to have it” mentality, which has nothing to do with emergencies.

The reality is a budget is just that “reality”!

Therefore, budgeting affords us the opportunity to live within our means.

This is a valuable life skill children should learn early in life. It is never too late to wean them off of the false notion that they should be entitled to “whatever they want” by their sheer existence alone.

Babies begin life believing everything belongs to them but it doesn’t take long, along their life’s journey, to realize that just isn’t so.

Confident in knowing they can control their spending habits!

Helping children adapt to that reality is something they can learn to appreciate if, we… parents, teachers, grandparents, and other significant adults, gift them with the knowledge of how to live within their means via the long-standing, proven methods of budgeting.

Suzanne Rightley is an author of children’s fiction. Health-awareness, Mystery, Detective, and Sports-themed Series are among her most popular books.

Visit her official website or author page to discover what the child/children, you know and love, can learn through the friendly, often humorous aspects of fiction.

Character Development · Parent and child relationships · Responsible Parents

“Do As I Say, Not As I Do”

February 2, 2023 SuzanneLeave a comment

Whoever first coined the phrase “Do as I say, not as I do!” undoubtedly had good intentions but let’s face it, when it comes to raising children, intentions don’t count for much, at least not “for the long haul”. (Yet another old adage; the English language abounds with them.)

For instance: It may have been an expression used by a smoker, who did not want their child to pick up their bad habit, whatever the reason, the phrase has been around for a long, long time and can be applied to many situations. Gossip, back-biting, slander, cursing at other motorists, shoving someone to get to the front of the line, throwing something at the wall, and so forth – really the list can be a long one.

Question: Will this worn out expression… “Do as I say, not as I do!” nurture children, during their formative years, under the aforementioned displays of frustration, anger, etc.?

Answer: Ah… Not much.

Why?

Much of a child’s behaviour is learned by the examples they witness repeated before them. Words help but “Actions speak louder than words!” (Yep, another one.)

Digressing for a moment: Experience may be the way children learn, however it might not always be the safest. Overindulging in alcohol, experimenting with drugs, and promiscuity are a few examples of life’s experiences we’d like to prevent our children from “Learning the hard way!” (I won’t say it…lol)

Furthermore: How is it that we can easily forgive ourselves, make excuses, and expect our bad behaviour to be tolerated but then… turn around and criticize a child for mimicking the same behaviour? Ludicrous. Right?

*Children Learn by What They Have Seen and Heard*

That is why it is so very important for adults (parents, teachers, neighbours, shoppers, motorists, etc.) to set the right form of behaviour.

It’s not always easy but it is our responsibility.

Suzanne Rightley is an author of children’s fiction. For a list of her books visit Suzanne Rightley.

Children's Health · Kids Books · Nutritional Health · Parenting

Now is the Right Time to Educate Children on Matters of Health

January 22, 2023 SuzanneLeave a comment

Children today will shape health and wellness awareness tomorrow. Therefore, this is our time (concerned adults) to step up and give them the knowledge they need to effect those necessary changes.

To Do: Teach Them

Using detailed data, endless statistics, confusing graphs, blah, blah…which all equals “BORING” to children …. Or
Imagination, vision, and fiction… featuring a kid heroine with health facts spouting out of her mouth, ah, constantly, one hilarious predicament after another

If you’re a kid, the choice is obvious!

Sadly Our Reality Today is Loaded with Statistics… non of which is fictional…

Obesity and other metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, and Cardiovascular Disease have become a far worse “pandemic” than the Coronavirus ever hoped to achieve in its wildest dreams (assuming a virus could dream in terms of stardom).

In addition, adults are not the only victims. Children are not immune to metabolic diseases and the growing numbers of sick kids is frightening.

One Suggestion… Health Awareness as a new fiction genre for kids

Children’s fiction author, Suzanne Rightley, has two books published aimed at relaying healthy lifestyle choices to our children, directly, via fun/lively/often humourous dialogue… aka fiction (Genre: Health Awareness)

Besides her obvious goal of educating kids on matters of health/making healthy choices, Suzanne hopes to inspire other children’s authors to jump on board.

These are the ideal days to push helpful data to children.

Many parents and teachers are looking for material to support their efforts in assisting kids in matters of their own health and wellness. As authors we can give them helpful tools to back up their efforts.

Visit any of the following links to learn more about Suzanne’s fictional hero… affectionately known as Granola Brea…

Granola Brea Books on Amazon; Granola Brea Book Series Page; Suzanne Rightley’s Author Page for more information as well as a complete list of Rightley Books

Lifestyle Changes · Parent and child relationships · Parenting · Quality Time with Children

Enjoy Quality Time With Your Children

January 13, 2023January 12, 2023 SuzanneLeave a comment

Time flies. Right? Before you know it, your precious youngsters are going to school, then college, then work, then… they visit you.

These are wonderful days. It may be challenging, but do not allow life’s stresses to steal quality time with your children.

To do so requires self-examination and of course… planning.

Know yourself – a little time to reflect on your current lifestyle is crucial. What are the triggers that easily throw off your best intentions. For many parents the distractions come from their phones. Notifications, by design, are set up for the receiver to take immediate action. The reality is – they can be ignored. Your child, on the other hand, should not be ignored if ‘quality time’ is your objective. Think – “I can mute my phone. I cannot mute my child.” It’s a priority thing.
There are times when you and your child’s plans are interrupted for legitimate reasons – someone knocks on the door, it’s the courier. Will this interruption last 2 minutes or 2 hours. Receiving the package is quick. Opening the package may throw off your best intentions if the product isn’t what you ordered and you’re ‘forced’ to contact the sender, etc. etc. You get the picture. Unexpected things do come up from time to time. How you assess and react may require some pre-planning. Think – triage. Do what must be done to handle the interruption efficiently and put off the rest until the timing is better for you and your child. Again – a priority thing.
Recognize/appreciate the characteristics of quality time – there are no set rules here. The amount of time you spend with your child will vary. Listening to their thoughts may only take 5 minutes out of your schedule, but your undivided attention matters to your little one. Take advantage of those precious moments and structure your body language to reflect your deep interest. Do you stop what you are doing to fully listen? Or do you simply nod along at what seems to be appropriate intervals? One thing is for sure – your child will know the difference.

Shared moments today will become fulfilling memories tomorrow.

Children may not recall the number of times you took them to the park, but they will remember enjoying their play time experience if they felt safe and had fun.
How you handle their problems will resonate throughout their formative years. Shouting, grounding, assorted punishments, and so forth do little in helping them know how to resolve their very real crises. A little empathy, thoughtful suggestions, and helping them understand real life consequences are far more meaningful than doing without ice cream for the next six months, which everyone knows is impossible.
Going the extra mile for your child might mean assistance with homework, reminding them to brush their teeth, helping them to keep there room neat and tidy, or encouraging words before a team sport. Consistency is key.

The rewards of good parenting may or may not be felt at the moment, but they will manifest themselves during the gratifying times you’ll spend with your ‘grown’ children, as you recall special moments during those… future visits.

Suzanne Rightley is an author of children’s fiction. Visit her author page for a complete list of her books.