Connie Sokol: Teach about money by letting children find biggest saver

In this difficult economy, it's become pretty clear that less is more.

But

in the trickle-down, children often want their familiar lifestyle, and

parents tell me that they're feeling pressured to still give and do for

their children. I

like what Alexandra Stoddard shares in her book, "You Are Your

Choices." "Aristotle teaches us about the Golden Mean — the balance,

the moderate position, between too little and too much. Be honest with

yourself and learn the difference between your needs and your wants. ...

By using the Golden Mean to poise ourselves between the two extremes of

excess or lack, we're able to achieve an ideal balance." Finding

that balance between need and want can be tricky. With young children,

parents are inundated with biweekly book orders, fundraisers, school

fees and other costs. With older and adult children, it's about

clothes, car insurance and even helping with rent. Although

there's no one-fits-all answer, maybe it's good for us to look to the

past. I think about what our grandparents learned from the Great

Depression, although the current economic climate is nowhere near that

level.During that time, children learned to hear the word no, to go without, and to make what was available work for them.

I

recently read a story of a man who was 12 during that time and how he

loved sports. When he was focused on football, he luckily received gear

for Christmas, only it was so big the shoulder pads reached his elbows