Hard Work

It is so important as parents that we teach our children the value and joy that come from hard work and knowing how to mange money. I remember as a little girls helping my mom clean and organize our house. We would work together and because of that today I feel like I know how to clean well. I also remember when all my family would work together in our yard and the fun we would have . Maybe as a kid I didn't love every minute of  the work or realize the lessons I was being taught, but as an adult I value that time and the things my parents taught me and my siblings. One of my more memorable times of working with my family was on my 9th birthday and we were going to go to the movies and on a picnic as a family. However, my dad is a rancher and some fence had got cut, so dad had to go fix it before we left so that the cows didn't get out. Dad decided that it would go fastest if we all went as a family and fixed it really quick, then we could celebrate my birthday. I didn't want to work on my birthday and I was upset so I protested by wearing shorts and flip-flop to fix fence (not the brightest idea) just so that I wouldn't have to work. Well the shorts didn't stop my dad from having me help with the fence because he told me that wasn't a good idea. As we were working on the fence I was following along when my brother pulled tight on the wire to get the fence tight and the wire went straight into my leg and I started to cry. My brother and dad helped me get the wire out and bandage my leg. I learned my lesson that day that I should listen to my dad because he knows what he is talking about and that helping my family with the work would get it done faster and have positive pay offs.

Probably the most valuable principle my parents taught me, that I appreciate more as an adult than I did as a child, is earning, saving and manging money. Starting at age 8 my parents set up a budget system for me to follow and I was required to starting buying my personal needs and wants. We were taught to first pay our 10% of tithing, then put 10% in saving, and then the rest was to be divided up into the different categories being budgeted for. I learned to prioritized my wants and needs. I think as a child we don't often realized what our parents are teaching us, but now as an adult I am extremely grateful for 

the lessons my parents taught me and now I hope I can teach to my own kids.