Last morning, I had visited my young friend (a 17yr old girl) who had lost her father that day. She was running around doing what has to be done within the house. At the very first private opportunity, she asks me... Her eyes filled with all the questions in the world.....
"What does this mean aunty? Are we going to be poor? Do we have to move out of this house?"
It has been a day since this question. All I still remember is her eyes - the doubts, the questions, the insecurities...
That made me think.... When do our children stop being too small to be part of household finances? I remember going to banks & encashing cheques, getting Demand Drafts, etc all by myself. By the time I was in college, I had a clear idea about the expenses. (Yeah! Mom carefully hid the income but not the expenses from me.)
What sort of evil are we saving the children from? How much is the right information for what age?
5yrs back, I had sat down with Kiddo & went through her income & expenses. Maybe it is time for me to sit down with her about my income & expenses.
Picture Courtesy: www.incharge.org
