Several days ago while at the library with my wife one of my sons asked about finding a book on the Great Depression. Apparently this has been a growing interest of his due to some other books that he has been reading. While impressed but curious, Sherry asked our son what caused him to become interested in the Great Depression? He said with a smile, I want to be prepared in case President Obama causes another Great Depression.

While humorous, this comment caused me to think about the messages that we as parents send to our children. Are we teaching them to be wise stewards of what God has given them even with things are “going well”?

Earlier this year the family went on an extended vacation to Branson. God has been good to us and we were able to put money aside specifically for this trip. As we were traveling we were able to do many things that we usually don’t do. My favorite saying during the trip was, “its only money.” While true, thinking back on it, was I sending the right message to my kids? Was I teaching them by example to be careless about money? I hope not but I am learning to be more careful about what I say.

One example that gives me some assurance or at least hope that we might be on the right track and are teaching in the right direction regarding finances is that our oldest has become very proficient in her computer use especially when it comes to finding deals online. She has found Christmas gifts and magazine subscriptions at greatly reduced costs. If she has a choice of paying full price or not purchasing an item, she will usually decide to wait until the item goes on sale or until she has a coupon.

It has been a blessing to see our children growing up understanding godly principles of stewardship even when their dad isn’t always perfect in this area.

Prov. 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.