Money, money, money

Recently I've been realizing I haven't talked to my kids much about money. I want them to grow up realizing the connection between how hard we work, and how much we can spend, and how much we can give. I want them to see that we can't buy everything we want.

A couple of years ago I blogged about the Fox TV show Secret Millionaire. The show didn't last long, but it's now been picked up by ABC. There are some changes, but the premise is the same. A millionaire goes "undercover" in a poverty-stricken area and finds places to volunteer. After a week, he or she gives away a portion of his/her fortune to people and organizations that need it.

Today I was watching an episode, and Chickie joined me in watching the last few minutes of it. She had a lot of questions. And I realized, this show is fantastic for teaching kids about money. We were able to talk about several concepts, including these:

• Some people don't have enough money to buy the things they need.
• We are very blessed that God's given us enough money for the things we need and some of the things we want. The reason we have this money is because Daddy went to lots of school and works hard. (And Mommy brings in a little money too.)
• We need to be careful not to spend more money than we have.
• One of the good ways we can use our money is by giving it to those who need it.

When I originally blogged about the show, I wrote about it giving me "a good cry." It's still an emotional show for me to watch, and I love how touching it is. But now I'm realizing that it also gives me the opportunity to have great, educational conversations with my kids. I'd say it's a pretty awesome television show.

You can find Secret Millionaire episodes on Hulu.