How we learn to handle Money

I live in the Philippines and as you know for sure it is a third world country. A 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd world country does not mean the whole of the country is 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd, it means the majority is. Even if you go to a first world county like the US you might find areas which barely have 3^rd world status. And in the capital of the 3^rd work country you will find things, places, gadgets, technology and attitude of a 1^st world place.

One interesting aspect to observe here is the handling of money. Due to my way of living I would not consider myself a financially stable person.

I guess as being self employed you only can be stable by either having a fairly big company or considerable savings.

What I wanted to say is that since I chose to become self-employed money became an issue.

From a spiritual point of view I understand it, because it is the weak aspect for most emerging or small companies and for me.

I currently have a cash flow problem and was sharing it with a local friend. She suggested I ask my friends. My reply was that I will do it if I really need it. She then replayed that they might not have when I need it. Sad but true. I think here and in many other places, parents do not teach their children how to handle money. I observed that most students here every morning get their allowance.

While talking with my friend this morning I realized this is teaching them to spend all what is in your pocket, because the next day it will be replenished. Later in life, if you get your salary spend it.

One or two years back I had a similar talk with another  friend and suggested she give her kids a weekly allowance. Of course she did not. By then I only saw that she was not training her children to handle money well, and now I saw that you train your children to spend or to live hand to mouth -money wise.

You may not agree with me, but I think the thought is worth being considered.

I understand the advantage of a tradition, but times and the world are changing so fast at the moment that the values valid for a rural society no longer fully apply to a melting pot like a modern mega-city. Maybe it is our duty as parents to reconsider our upbringing. We can keep the values but might need to change the techniques, if not for us, then for the sake of our children.