Kids, money and the scrabble for the plate

A young consumer in the making?

There was a good deal of scrambling and squabbling in the third pew from the back, pulpit side, during offering time at St. John Lutheran Church, Frederika, Iowa, in the 1980s and 1990s. That's where my family sat in the church were I grew up in rural Northeast Iowa and the struggle was between us three kids and we grabbed at mom's purse as the offering plate came near.

This is my first memory of stewardship: grabbing at my mom's purse, digging for coins (the more quarters the better) and trying to get more than my siblings to put into the plate as it went by. What's yours?

It's funny (and interesting) to think back on that now, as a pastor, mom and stewardship resource person in my synod.

It's great that my siblings and I knew that offering was important. Along with the fight for coins, we also saw my mom quietly slip a check in the plate each week. She never said much about it, but we knew it was important and we wanted to do our part.

I wonder now about what it means to teach my own son (pictured above) about giving. How can I help him learn the joys of giving, not just my money but his own, too? How can I teach him that everything that he has belongs to God? How can I create in him a sense of deep faith and gratitude? How can I help him resist the pressures of advertising and consumerism? My son isn't quite two years old; I'm only just beginning. I have a few ideas, but would love to hear your thoughts!

Model generosity of all types and do it together:
My mom was great about making a casserole (hot dish, as we called it) for someone in need and going to visit widows and shut-ins. She took us along and told us why it was important. Often we helped prep the meal. This could be done in other ways too, such as shopping for kids in need, with your kids. The ELCA Good Gifts catalog is a great way to do this. Let kids weigh in on what they'd like to give.

Teach about spending, saving and giving:
Provide a way for kids to separate out their own money. Consider the 10-10-80 model (save, give, spend). You can search online for ideas how to do this, or check out the book, "The Opposite of Spoiled," by Ron Lieber, about raising generous kids.

Recycle together
This is an easy way to teach good stewardship of resources. Or, instead of recycling, urge kids to get creative about new uses for old things. Explain why recycling and reusing connects to our faith.

Say thank you
Lead kids in "thank you" prayers at night and other times, too. Talk about what you are thankful for as a family. Teach kids to write thank you notes, or at least email or text words of thanks and appreciation to others. Model doing this as parents, too.

What else?
What do you do?