In the past two years, I came across a disease that I’d never heard of but almost immediately knew I was suffering from. I looked at the list of symptoms for this disease and quickly diagnosed myself. Behavior characterized by continually rushing and feeling anxious, always feeling short of time, being flustered when encountering (even minor) delays—I most certainly came down with what has risen to become an underlying norm that pervades our culture: hurry sickness.

Parents: think back to your own school days.

Can you recall things you were asked or expected to learn but you couldn’t understand why? Perhaps you didn’t think they were important?

Can you remember things you learned or tried to learn because you thought they were important, but to this day you don’t really understand them or are able to explain them?

Were you ever asked to learn things for which you saw no purpose?

Did you ever ask the question, “Why do we have to learn this?”

The answer, in many cases, is “yes” to all of these.

In many ways, money is a taboo topic in our culture. Most of us don’t dare talk about how much money we make or spend. We hold financial information close to the chest, as a very private matter. So, when it comes to discussing money and teaching our kids about finances, it can be a challenge. From a young age, kids begin to understand that in order to get the things they want or need, money is required. However, the complexities of saving, giving, and investing money do not come naturally to a child and must be taught and reinforced over time.