What is the most important thing you can give your children???

Question

My husband says that it is money and security, even if that means working 2 jobs and slacking on time spent. I say a good education and time, even if that means prioritizing differently so that you may have to do without the newest material posessions so that you can pay for their schooling and not work 2 jobs but spend a lot of time with them. Which of us do you think is right, I am specifically interested in what your parents chose and what you think of your childhood. I want my kids to have a good childhood and a good future.

Answer 1

a good education and time definately !
the more time you spend with your child the better it is for the child and the more secure they are with themselves and the world around them .
the better educated they are the more likely they are to go far in life and with their career.
i think with the 2 being done money and security falls into place .
if a child only has money and security but are not properly educated the child will not have the skills to maintain taking care of themselves financially .

Answer 2

I couldn't agree with you more. Time is by far the most important thing you can give a child, and education is right behind it. When you spend time with your child, you are sending so many different messages:

1. You are important. (builds self-esteem)
2. I enjoy being with you. (builds security)
3. I love you. (builds your relationship)
4. I want to learn more about you. (builds understanding)

If you are working 100 hours a week and don't have time to spend with your child, all the Playstation games, American Girl dolls and expensive clothes in the world won't make up for the lack of parental influence in a child's life. Kids learn so much from watching their parents and modeling their behavior. I do not think about education as strictly about increasing "knowledge" - it's also about learning how to be a kind, respectful person. And that takes both time and education.

Now that I think about it, a lot of my best childhood memories involve BOTH time and education:

- Read to your child to increase knowledge and create a special bond at the end of each day.
- Grow a seed on a damp cotton ball and teach photosynthesis as well as patience and consistency
- Go to the zoo and learn about the other animals on our planet to foster caring and nurturing.
- Put on a puppet show for your neighbors and learn how to perform and cooperate.

You need time to build a relationship with your kids. Only then can you educate them about the world and their place in it. We were never rich, so my parents could easily have worked tons of overtime if they had wanted to make more money. Instead, my parents spent a great deal of time with me as a child, then paid for me to go to college. Now, I look back with only the happiest memories and appreciate how hard they worked to put me through school. You hit the nail right on the head!

Answer 3

I think the most important thing you can give your child is love and security. Money is nothing compared to a mothers love. I would try spending more time with my children than anything, and showing them new things. If I was you I would work one job until they are old enough to realize and make responsible choices. Hope I helped you out! Best Wishes

Answer 4

I think time spent with them is way more important than money or tution. Parents who are absent a lot due to work tend to have an absent realtionship with thier child.
The most important thing you can give your child is unconditional love and attention.. Even if it means having to go to public school and not having that big of a bank account.

Answer 5

A good education. There are children who find love or too much care from parents suffocating, which can cause family problems. So yeah, I believe a good education is the most important, it secures your child's future.

Answer 6

Best things you can give your kids is a stable environment where they can grow.

Loving your kid is a must but you can't live on love. Money helps a lot but does not make a happy home. No money will put any 'harmonious home' in turmoil.
You can't have one without the other... so... Just love or just money are both not good.

Answer 7

as a single mom- i've worked 2 jobs for 8 years now in order to support my children, my ex doesn't / hasn't paid child support even though its court ordered. its not that i've wanted to work 2 jobs, but that i've had to in order to have a roof over our heads, food on the table, and a few extras now and then. we don't live beyond our means and by extras i mean internet and cable t.v.
I feel that the best thing you can give your children is a mom and dad who love them and lets them know they are loved and yet can discipline them if and when they need it. as for my parents, my mom and dad both worked, but they did spend time with us and we weren't rich, but we weren't spoiled either. we didn't have money for a lot of things that kids have today. we didn't have a color tv until i was a junior in highschool. we didn't even own a tv until i was in 2nd or 3rd grade.

Answer 8

I think the most important thing is love. We may think it is money or education. It is not, give them loads of love with instructions and correction to discipline them. Above all, teach them to respect God and to respect others as they grow up. Also spend time with your children to play, to listen to their stories, questions, answer them, take part in everything they do so that later on in life, they can always back on you and will not hide in anything they do. Be their friend and mother.

Answer 9

I agree with you. My family was never rich but we always spent a lot of time together and we all had a good education (both my parents are teachers) and I had a fantastic childhood.

Answer 10

Although money gives you more options time spent with your children is priceless. I read somewhere that the best gift you can give your child is to love and respect the other parent. My husband and I (when we are in an argument) always bring that up. It's fabulous advice.