How do we instill in our children money awareness and respect for effort?

In the midst of the rush of life and its daily pressures, many families are preoccupied with teaching their children reading and mathematics, and overlook an equally important skill: financial education.
This concept does not mean turning a child into a little accountant, but rather teaching him to respect the effort and time that produces money, and to understand that money is not a goal in itself, but rather a means to achieve life consciously and responsibly.

Psychological expert Dr. Hassan Fayed explains in his interview with Sayidaty and Your Child magazine that: “Teaching a child to respect money is, in essence, teaching him to respect himself and others. Money is a symbol of effort, and whoever realizes its true value becomes more conscious in his future decisions and behaviors.”
Children do not learn from words, but from observation and imitation. When a child sees his parents managing the home budget wisely, or choosing the appropriate product without extravagance, balanced financial behavior is established in him without direct indoctrination.
Involving the child in simple decisions, such as choosing between two games or saving his weekly allowance, teaches him planning, waiting, and appreciating results – skills that extend to his studies and public life.
Some mothers fear that the child will become stingy when he saves his money, but Dr. Fayed explains that the difference between stinginess and saving lies in the intention: “The stingy person is afraid to spend, while the saver chooses wisely before spending.”
When a child saves for a clear goal, a book, a trip, or a gift for a friend, he learns that money is a means to achieving joy, not an end in itself.

Since the child is a mirror of his environment; If he grows up in a home that spends without spending money, he will learn that money is worthless, but in a home that balances desire and need, he will in turn adopt this conscious behavior.
Tell your child about managing the family budget, and let him experience simple responsibilities, such as managing a small pocketbook or choosing a gift for the family within a specific budget. These experiences instill in him a sense of belonging and responsibility and give him confidence in his decisions.
Money may seem far removed from education, but the connection between them runs deep.
The child who learns to control his desires and postpone their satisfaction through saving is the same one who learns patience and perseverance in his studies.
Whoever knows that every goal has a price, also understands that success requires effort and planning.
Ambition is not born from rewards, but from a sense of the value of effort. When you encourage your child to make smart decisions or commit to saving, you build a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem, which forms the foundation for a mature, responsible personality in the future.

How do you apply these values ​​in practice?
• Talk to him about money simply, without fear or secrets.
• Give him a weekly allowance and the freedom to decide how to spend it.
• Encourage him to save for a clear goal, to link waiting with reward.
• Be a role model in your daily financial behavior.
• When he makes a mistake, turn the mistake into a lesson, not a punishment.
• Most importantly: Always make the connection between effort and reward, not between money and love.

Financial education is not only about money, but rather about the values ​​that build a conscious person, capable of making decisions, and ready to bear the consequences of his choices.