Minimalist Lifestyle is Healthy for Kids, Parents
My out-of-the house son and I were recently discussing the minimalist lifestyle. We noticed how many people claim to be minimalists but in fact aren't. Case in point: money. It's easy to talk about living simply, but much harder to do it. And now that our son is paying his own way, he realizes why dad and I were so frugal when he was growing up. He sees first-hand how expensive things are and how easy it is get deep in debt. Avoiding debt is one reason parents should live simply. Here are others.
* Minimizing spending prepares kids for the real world. And conversely, overspending doesn't. Kids who are raised with privilege and excess are ill-equipped for reality. Paying bills on time, living happily with less, living within a budget–kids who have everything handed to them don't learn these skills. Our kids never went without necessities. They had plenty of toys. But they weren't immersed in possessions. Our lives didn't revolve around stuff. Each child now knows how to work, save, budget and stay out of debt.
The start of summer fun times is memorial day week-end and the end is the labor day week-end. The days between these two holidays is when people are busier than ever. The whole outdoors becomes one big fun-for-all. Because people are fun loving they often forget just how careful they have to be. When we're all going through our lists of what to take camping and boating it pays to be hyper aware of dangers.
