What drives you every day? What makes you get out of bed? What makes you smile through the tears?

As parents, it is normal for us to say our children or our spouse and I completely agree with you. Those are definitely the top two (four technically) on my list.

However, I really want you to go deeper this time, and one step further. Why do your children or spouse inspire you? And, I don’t want the cliché answer. I want you to think about specific examples.

Let me share my experience with you.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote my article Success vs. Failure. The entire time I was writing that article, I had a vision of my seven year old son, Derek, playing tackle football. He plays with children that weigh up to 90 pounds. Derek weighs in at a whopping 51 pounds (without pads). For two years now I have watched Derek go to every practice and every single game. I have watched him get hammered by boys almost twice his size (although he can give as much as he takes, even considering his size).

There have been times I sit and hold my breath until he gets up. As a mother this is very difficult to watch. However, Derek absolutely loves every second of it.

Every single time that little man gets pounded on, he gets up. Sometimes slower than others, but he always gets up. When he does, he shakes his head, dusts himself off and then gets back in line to do it again. Now, think about that for a minute. My seven year old gets knocked down several times a night at practice and in games, but he always bounces right back up and is ready to take on more without even the hint of a complaint or tear.

What if we as adults took on life like Derek does his football? When I have a tough day, I just think about Derek. If he can take on all that he does on that football field and always get up with a great attitude, why can’t I? Why can’t all of us live life with as much passion and perseverance as he does?

Think about what inspires you, is it a child, a spouse, a parent, a friend? What exactly is it that they do that inspires you to want to be a better person? Now, I mentioned above that I wanted you to take it one step further. Share your feelings with that person if it is at all possible.

On the way to football practice one night last week, I told Derek everything I mentioned above. I told him he inspired me and why. I know he is seven, but I truly believe he will remember that conversation for the rest of his life. Hopefully he will remember it when it matters most.

Why don’t you go do the same? Go change someone’s life…

• Try limiting each child to one sport at a time.  This will not only help keep their sanity, but yours as well. 
• See about getting your uniforms second hand or passing them down from one child to the next. 
• You do not, necessarily, need to buy new shoes for each sport.  We bought football cleats for my oldest son last year for football…funny, they worked perfectly fine for baseball the following spring (as long as they still fit okay).  Obviously that is not always going to be the case, but keep it in mind if the budget is tight. 
• To save on gas, find out if other children in the neighborhood are on the same teams and set up a carpool. 

This may seem like very basic advice, but sometimes people are so set in their ways, they don’t seem to realize the little things they can do that will make a big difference.

Summertime childcare…This is a tough one.

• Your families budget
• Your personal preferences
• Child care availability
• Hours available
• Parents intuition

Yes, I do have your intuition on there.  You talk to any mom (and maybe dad’s too, but I can only really speak from a mom’s perspective), they will tell you they know almost immediately if they are comfortable leaving their child somewhere. 

I have had more than one mom tell me they left a child care facility without leaving their child there because it just did not feel right.  So do not underestimate the power of a parent’s intuition. 

Taking all these factors into account, it is important to take my fourth step into account.

Start Researching Summer Child Care Options Early – As the mother of school aged children, I know the summer can be a difficult time.  You have to make the decision of where your children will spend their summer. 

Some people are lucky enough to work from home and can have their children home with them.  If you fall into this bracket, you should probably take into account that you might not be quite as productive with the children home. 

Also, don’t forget those meetings outside the office, those hourly daycare centers are fabulous for that situation; just don’t forget to factor that into your budget. 

Other people do not have the option of working from home, so then what?  There are city run facilities that have great field trips and activities, but they tend to be expensive.  You can also look into some in-home daycare options or look into a nanny. 

Each option is a very personal decision for each family, not only financially, but only you know what is right for your children.  If you start researching early, you will not feel forced to make decisions under pressure.

Every generation wants their children to have more than they did.  As the mother of three boys, I respect that.  Who would not want their children to have more than they did?  However, you have to be careful what you are teaching your children.  If you find you have a habit of spending more than you should and buying yourself, or your family, things you really can’t afford, ask yourself a couple of questions:

• Do you feel entitled?
• Did your parents buy you everything you ever wanted?
• Did you get an allowance and have to budget?
• If so, was it enough for you to buy what you really wanted?
• Did you sometimes feel that your parents gave you money instead of love?
• Were the things your parents bought you out of guilt for not spending quality time with you?
• Are you passing this on to your children now?
• Are you buying your children everything they want because you are going through a divorce?

If you can take the time to reflect on your childhood, you may be able stop the pattern now.  You want to be careful about what you are passing on to your children.  Some of the things you want to pass on to your children are:

• Give them an allowance; let them learn how to budget money.
• Let them make some bad decisions with their money, you would rather them learn this now than when they are in college, or later.
• Discuss their purchases with them; make sure they know they can talk to you about money.  Keep an open dialogue.
• Don’t buy them everything they want, they need to learn about wants versus needs.
• If they want something real bad, teach them to save up their allowance for it.  This will teach them the value of money and patience.
• Immediate gratification can be very bad when they are young, but even worse when they reach their teens and early adult years.  This is how they get themselves into credit card debt.

Communication is key.  Keeping an open dialogue sets the stage for your kids.  You want them to know they can always come to you and talk about money.  Get them involved with the family budget when they get a little older.  You do not want money to be this big mysterious beast.  Shine the light on it!  Your children will thank you later…

If you have any questions about how your childhood is linked to your financial health now, check out the products page on my web site.  You can download my free personal finance assessments and get your questions answered.