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A mother of two teens is teaching them that money doesn’t grow on trees.
The 48-year-old mom explained on Reddit’s “Am I the A——” forum that she has started showing her children the household bills because “sometimes they do need to see how much they’re costing us as parents.”
Now, the mom’s 45-year-old friend is criticizing this approach.
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“I told her that my kids used to take showers until we started showing them the water bill and (at least one of them) started taking shorter showers so it wouldn’t cost as much,” she told her friend, who also is a mom of two.
“Personally, I don’t see showing them as a bad thing,” the older mom continued. “My friend responded that I was making them ‘anxious,’ but I thought that was a bit of a leap, as I talk a lot about how much their clothes/food/other wants cost openly.”
The mother also emphasized that she and her husband “make a pretty good living,” but they still want to educate their kids about expenses.
Pondering if her parenting method is off, the mother asked the Reddit forum, “Am I the a—— for showing my kids the bills?”
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One reader replied, “Kids need to learn the value of money. They need to learn how to budget. They need to become self-sufficient adults.”
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Another Redditor agreed and commented, “It’s not only about money — don’t forget overconsumption and wasting resources. Just because you can afford it doesn’t mean you should consume more.”
A third person said, “You know what will make your friend’s kids really anxious? When, in a few years, they will inevitably be thrown into the real world with absolutely no concept of budgeting and personal responsibility.”
