My older child seems to want it all—whether it’s food, toys, online games, or school expenses, you name it, he wants it and thinks money is in infinite supply. Recently, we returned from an amazing cruise vacation, which also included some wonderful time in Florida, visiting the incredible Universal Orlando parks and having an overall fantastic experience. Having thoroughly enjoyed this vacation, he is now constantly talking about when we’ll take our next cruise and insisting we should go soon—this time aboard an even bigger and better ship. While we all love these cruise vacations and would do them as often as possible, my son has no appreciation for the financial cost required to make such a great trip a reality!
I had an idea: what if we link the idea of another cruise vacation to his behavior? While he’s a smart and thoughtful kid, he sometimes struggles to understand our financial limitations. We want to provide for him, but we also want to teach him about responsible spending. Indulging every whim, no matter the cost, isn’t the answer. It could foster an entitled attitude. Instead, by connecting his desired vacations to his behavior, we can encourage positive actions and a greater appreciation for our resources. So lately, anytime he asks for something costs a significant amount of money – say $50 or $100 in Roblox gift card – we instantly remind him that not only it is unrealistic, but spending this much money on his immediate wants now will mean no cruise vacation in the future.
While this experiment is still in its early weeks, I am already noticing some positive changes. For one, he isn’t asking for things as often, and even when he does, he isn’t as persistent. Every request he makes is promptly met with our reminder about the future cruise vacation, and this approach seems to be working. Want something now that costs a lot of money? Well, that will significantly reduce the chances of a cruise vacation happening anytime soon. For example, instead of being able to take one in August 2025, it might be pushed to Spring 2026 or later.
Kids may not have a full appreciation or understanding of how money works and they seem to think they grow on trees or fall from the sky. And they may not understand when you tell them there is a finite supply, so the alternative is to link it to something tangible that they can understand and appreciate. In the case of my son, there is no better reward to link it to than a future cruise vacation.