Money Saving Lessons Gleaned from Children's Stories

I've often written about the importance of teaching money saving lessons to kids early in life. I certainly feel that there isn't enough focus on personal finance and saving money during school from grade school years on up. Sure, in math class kids learn how to count change (which as adults is about all many of us are left with at the end of the month), but there often just isn't enough focus on the critical financial aspects many of us face on a daily basis as adults.

While we can put some of the blame for our children's financial ignorance upon the education system, some of it must also fall upon us as parents. Many financial lessons are out there and readily available if we choose to teach them to our children. And we often don't have to look far to find them.

Here are a few examples of common children's stories that provide wonderful financial lessons should we choose to point them out to our kids.

The Grasshopper and the Ant

This story has been told in many different ways and often with different characters, but the moral of the story remains the same. The happy grasshopper spends his summer and fall months playing and lounging while the ant works tirelessly to stock food for the approaching winter.

When winter arrives, the grasshopper is left with no food while the ant is fat, happy, and warm in his home, enjoying the fruits of his labor. When the starving grasshopper comes crawling to the ant for food, the ant obliges since he has more than enough.

It's a valuable lesson that illustrates the benefits of hard work, preparation, and saving.

Unfortunately, a true American ending to this story, should it continue beyond the ant's gracious provision of food to the grasshopper, would be that the grasshopper wouldn't learn his lesson. Having no incentive to change his ways year after year, he would instead continue to count upon the ant's annual handouts.

Meanwhile, the hardworking ant would stop having hardworking ant children to help contribute to the cause because he was too busy supporting the grasshopper. The grasshopper on the other hand -- having nothing but time on his hands -- would continue his non-productive habits, and then have and raise lots of non-contributing, non-productive grasshopper children who would also rely upon the hardworking ant's entitlement programs.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

On a happier note, we next review the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas; a somewhat deceptive title, since he actually didn't succeed in his efforts to steal it...but we won't get into that.

In this staple of holiday programming that most of us have probably caught at one time or another on tv, the devilish Grinch slithers his way into the homes of the Whos down in Whoville, stealing anything and everything that could be associated with the Christmas holiday -- even the roast beast!

However, even after all his spiteful efforts; the Grinch doesn't succeed in detracting from the Whos' Christmas celebration, thus realizing that there is more to Christmas than just presents.

So why is it that the Grinch can recognize that buying gifts and material possessions isn't the true meaning of Christmas, but so many consumers, who drive themselves deeply into debt each year, can't come to the same conclusion?

Henny Penny

I bet this tale falls somewhere into most of our childhood reading repertoires. If you're a little foggy on the gist of the story (slight variations aside) it goes something like this:

After being hit by a falling acorn, poor Henny Penny (a.k.a. Chicken Little or Chicken Licken) thinks the sky is falling. Parading along on her way to alert the king of this potential disaster, she gathers an extensive following of fellow animal associates (i.e. Goosey Loosey, Turkey Lurkey, Cocky Lockey, et al.) -- telling each that the sky is falling and gathering them to her cause.

Depending upon the ending you're accustomed to, usually Henny Penny and friends are either eaten by a fox before completing their journey or most are eaten with Henny Penny escaping near disaster.

While we may pull various morals from this story or make numerous comparisons, this tale most recently reminds of the housing market collapse. You get a few individuals leading the way, telling everyone that housing is the place to be and that it's a can't miss investment. Soon, a huge following is spreading the word, gathering more people to the cause through fear mongering that they'll be the ones to miss out on a sure thing if they don't join the parade. However, at the end of that road is a fox that's waiting to devour the majority of the followers (ahem, big banks).

It's an important lesson that illustrates that following the herd as it charges blindly ahead can be disastrous should you only believe what you are told without pausing to consider just how ridiculous the claim might be.

More From This Contributor:

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Disclaimer:

The author is not a licensed financial professional. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. For financial advice, readers should consult a licensed financial advisor. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is solely at the reader's discretion.