Category Archives: Kids

Outsourcing The Partial Raising Of My Kids

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No, I’m not giving my kids away!!!

But the more I think about it, the more I realize that people from different age groups might be able to provide things that I’m not capable of.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to wipe my hands of the job entirely, just augment it a bit… 

 

From the age 20s age group: 

My sister and her husband have taken my kids for a few weekends and spend time with my kids during the holidays.  During these time periods, I try to let my sister and brother-in-law play with my kids interact with my kids as much as possible while I disappear onto a different floor to read.

 

From Older Age Groups:

With the parents, usually the kids visit them for the day or stay overnight.  My parents (both mine and my wife’s) are able to teach my kids skills that I just don’thave or know.  My father-in-law is a great craftsman, so my son will learn woodworking from him.  My dad is an engineer, so hopefully my son will be able to improve this natural ability with math and science. 

My mother-in-law has many skills: cooking, painting, sewing, gardening, etc!  My daughter will learn tons from her too!

 

I mention this because in a few weeks we’ll be going on vacation!  This year are we going to Hilton Head, with my parent and sister’s family.  For me it will be a time of relaxation and time to catchup on reading.  During this time period I will do stuff with the kids, but I like taking a second seat with respect to the attention that they receive from others.  When everybody else is tired and my kids still want to do stuff, that’s when I take over.  I did this last year, and I’ll do it again this year.

What do you think of my approach?  Do you think that I’m broading my kids experiences or does this just confuse them?

-MR

Are Kids Being Raised The Best They Possibly Could Be?

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I’m starting to doubt that my kids are being raised correctly. 

I starting to believe that my kids (really all of our kids) are not being raised the most optimally as possible!

Why do I use the word optimally?  Because our kids are raise much better than some countries and overall, they have a very easy life.  But in a world where kids watch that very influential educator Mr. TV, are they really learning developing a sense of what is important in life?

Are we molding our children’s mind based on the teaching of the very influential Sponge Bob?  Are they learning to be goofy goobers?

What if we readers, were also raised as goofy goobers, but in a different generation?  Now we have a society of older goofy goobers teaching kids to be new goofy goobers, by letting them watch mind numbing shows similar to what we watched as kids…  No wander immigrants are more inclined to become entreupenuers that the local born population.

But even more importantly than restricting the amount of TV they watch, are we teaching them on how to be responsible and helping them to develop skills?  Currently, my kids don’t do any chores at all.  I’m starting to think this may be spoiling them.  Perhaps they believe that things should just magically happen for them?  I think that if all they experience growing up is good times, then when they are an adult, life may be difficult for them.  Any mild downturn, may confuse and frustrate them.  Will adult life be disappointing and unfulfilling for them?  Perhaps a little pain growing up make the pain later in life more manageable?

While nothing has caused me to write about this topic, it does have me wondering if I’m doing the best job of teaching and raising them as I possibly can. 

I’m don’t have a manual for what to do, so I try to give an equal balance of things that I think are important for them and their growth.

Ironically, I believe I have a good grasp around the financial teaching… it’s the other stuff I’m worried about!  This seems to be opposite to the general population.

-MR

Giving My Kids A Head Start In Building Wealth

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I would like for my son and daughter to have a shot at becoming wealthy when they are older!

So what is a middle income earner like me to do?

My “Work in Process” Plan

Basically to contribute $2,000 per kid until they are 21, then hope they build upon the base that I created for them.

Here is the basic calculations table that I created to help them:

Age Amount Int. Rate Interest Earned
6 $2,000.00 0.06 $120.00
7 $4,120.00 0.06 $247.20
8 $6,367.20 0.06 $382.03
9 $8,749.23 0.06 $524.95
10 $11,274.19 0.06 $676.45
11 $13,950.64 0.06 $837.04
12 $16,787.68 0.06 $1,007.26
13 $19,794.94 0.06 $1,187.70
14 $22,982.63 0.06 $1,378.96
15 $26,361.59 0.06 $1,581.70
16 $29,943.29 0.06 $1,796.60
17 $33,739.88 0.06 $2,024.39
18 $37,764.28 0.06 $2,265.86
19 $42,030.13 0.06 $2,521.81
20 $46,551.94 0.06 $2,793.12
21 $51,345.06 0.06 $3,080.70
22 $56,425.76 0.04 $2,257.03

Now I know some of you might be thinking big deal, 56k isn’t that much.  And you would be right.  But it’s not a bad chunk of change either!

I would hope that they continue to build it, but if they don’t, at least that would be a great down payment on a house.

Another option would be to keep the money for them and let them draw a little at a time.  This would be messy and my kids might start to build a dependency on me.  I don’t want that to happen.

I have to admit, another part of me just want to sock  extra $2,ooo a year into my account and let that  amount grow!  Just to see what it does!

Either way, I’ve alread started it, and so the numbers that go to age 10 has already been accomplished.

This is still a “WIP” task, I’ll update this in a future report.

-MR

My Perfectly Frugal Fathers Day

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As a father of 2 children (9 year old boy and a 6 year old girl),  I always thought that “Fathers Day” was about me!  Ordering the kids around on Fathers Day … “Hey son, get me the paper” or “Daughter, get me my slippers” almost seemed like that thing to say.  Afterall, it’s my day and I’m in charge (imagine my evil laugh… Mwahahahaahhaha).  Of course, I’ve never do that, but I can see where Dads could easily assume that’s what Fathers Day was about.  But yesterday (much like when the Grinch’s heart grewing 3 sizes that day), I’ve come to realize that Fathers Day is about my kids and the memories we can create together.

I want my kids to look back and think of me with fond memories someday, and if I do this parenting thing right, I get to enjoy the experience along the way too ;).  So from now on, Fathers Day will be about me trying to create some great memories on that day with my kids.  And that is what I did this Fathers Day!

Here is my list of our frugal Fathers Day activities.

  • Opened my Fathers Day present, which was a new portable Fire Pit (Dad acted reasonable excited)
  • Went to pickup McDonalds breakfast for the kids
  • With help from the entire family, we moved our old furniture back into the Family Room, letting my son and daughter help with moving and decision making
  • Packed up and went swimming at the grandparents.
  • Swam as certain monsters (shark, blob and Orca).
  • Was an Orca Daddy to my younger daughter.  And let the kids ride on the Orca
  • Watch Kids play as a trainer and dog trying to learn to swim.
  • (Helped Grandparents with some manual labor, digging and moving dirt took at least an hour… yuck)
  • Let son take 2 small wheelbarrows of dirt to dirt pile.
  • When home and kept an eye on my son while he started up the fire pit (we got the wood for free from grandpa)
  • My wife made pizza pies to cook over the fire pit.
  • Daughter and I weeded and water the flower bed (from mother’s day)
  • Son cooked the pizza pies over the firepit
  • We all at the pizza pies and toasted marshmallows.
  • Son and Daughter threw the ball for our dog to chase (until the dog got tired and stopped).
  • The kids and dad went on a lightning bug (or firefly) hunt.  We caught about 15  lightning bugs and put them in a bug container for my daughter to watch at night.
  • Played with kids right before they went to bed.

And that was my Fathers Day, other than the McDonalds meal, it was a very frugal Fathers Day, but one filled with fond memories.  Its funny how watching my kids playing or working reminds me of Normal Rockwell scenes… except better! 

In my mind, I took so many great photos of the kids doing various things today!

 This was by far the greatest Fathers Day I ever had!!!

-MR