make sure both my kids continue to get everything they need to stay happy and be successful

My nine yr old daughter was so over the moon when I surprised her and her brother with A reserve tickets for Tap Dogs performance next month.

So she gets an appreciation of the cost of things and that these things sometimes don’t come easily, I told her the price of the tickets (it’s costing us $180 for three tickets) and that if she asks for certain treats over the next month and I say ‘no’ she will understand why. But I never expected her delayed reaction when she told me later that ‘Mum, tonight I won’t sleep with my lava lamp on.’ I asked her why to which she replied ‘I want to save us money!’ Later on, as she was going around switching off all the lights (!), she asked us if we will go bankrupt! I think I’ve reassured her now but she asked so many questions to get to the truth of the matter it was a difficult task! It was interesting because it reminded me about how anxious I had felt several times during my childhood about my parents finances. It’s important they feel not only emotionally and physically secure but also financially. That’s why, although it’s good to be truthful to our children, sometimes truth isn’t always the answer for them – ignorance is best – even for us adults!

Before our kids went to visit their relatives for a couple of weeks (school holidays) just two weeks ago (they came back tonight), my eldest (14, a son) said how lucky he is to be in this family and to be so loved! He said that he has a wonderful life. Then our daughter (9) joined in with the same sort of remarks. Do you realise how they made me feel? I can’t even put it into words!!

I know that I can go to my grave and know that our kids love us and that we have brought them up happily and well. I know that the hardest years are to come (so they say) but having my children say to me that they are so happy and thank me for it – I know I can’t go wrong. They can’t go wrong.

And today, after getting their rooms ready (I always springclean their rooms when they go away) and putting the finishing touches like a new pretty box for Melita’s hairbands or a nice butterfly (not real!) on the wall above where my son’s head lays at night, I realised that when they show me how happy they are, I then (I think without realising it) turn around and do more nice things for them that they like (like their rooms) and then they turn around and do or say something nice to me – and it just goes back and forth, back and forth. Neither party realising it – all good. We have such wonderful children and I love them so so much.

and that’s not just material things but to be able to do and enjoy things in their formative years. So far it’s going much better. Now that I’m back to part-time, I can spend more time driving them around to their various extra-curricular activities and attend my daughter’s school every Thursday.

This year they are both learning to dance, one is continuing drama lessons (her teacher is starring in a movie soon!), one is doing art one night a week, one is sailing every Friday evening (he loves it!!), one is learning snowboarding this winter, both are doing their sports and swimming and both are learning musical instruments.

Meanwhile they are doing well at school (again, we are allowing more time and resources for them) and have time for social catch ups with their friends.

And they’ve also been around the world and hopefully back overseas next year! (They’ve been told that they probably won’t get an inheritance – their lifestyle is their inheritance!)

Although we are currently doing this for our kids, I want to make sure we keep doing this!!