When I was in 4th grade I heard some of my friends were going to the YMCA Summer Camp in the mountains a few hours away, it sounded like a fantastic adventure- I had to go. I envisoned my parents paying for camp and I’d just hop on the bus. Lucky for me, my parents DIDN’T pay for it. They encouraged me to sell peanuts door to door to earn the money. I remember figuring out how many cans of peanuts I’d have to sell to complete my goal and my first “sales pitch” was rejected, and then I had to muster up the courage to keep going forward.
When I finally sold all of my peanuts and paid for camp I was thrilled. This experience was life-changing and now as I look back at the experience I’m grateful for my parents who often said, “sure, you can go, how can you make it happen?” By making me accountable for raising the funds for some of my extra-curricular activities I learned valuable lessons: how to work hard, save money, develop confidence, and learn how to sell a product. As a result of all the hard work I learned that life had no limits. I continue to apply these principles, if I want or need something I know how to go after it, in this way I learned the seeds of self-reliance as a girl selling peanuts.
As the mother of a soon-to-be 4th grader I’m continually seeking ways to instill the same type of life lessons I learned as a child. Fortunately I have an ambitious son, who continually asks me how he can “make money”. Just tonight my son said, “I think I should talk to a pro business person tomorrow who’s made a lot of money inventing something”, wow, sounds like what I do everyday…!! I told my son I’d be happy to help him and he said, “great, what should I do then to make a lot of money?” Hmmm…I think we’ll start with a website for entrepreneurial kids. There’s bound to be more kids like him wanting to learn and connect.
I’m glad my son is motivated to work hard to earn things, however, I want to teach him to work, not just for “things” but because through work he will learn to become independent someday and know how to create the life he wants for himself and eventually a future family. Ultimately when we become self-reliant then we can begin to turn our thoughts towards others and their needs, which is the most important gift I want to teach my son–to serve and be generous with his resources, time, and talents.
What lessons did you learn as a child that has shaped your business skills and confidence as an adult? What lessons are you teaching your children about these principles? Any ideas or tips for my entrepreneurial kid?
