How to Talk to Kids About Money Without Making Them Worry

My 10-year-old son likes to tell this joke that he thinks is absolutely hilarious.

“Do you know what MOM stands for?”

“Made Of Money! HAHAHAHA.”

This “Made Of Money,” however, does not generally find it quite as hilarious. 🙄😂

But before I make him sound like a selfish, spoiled child, he genuinely isn’t.

He is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful and caring little boys I’ve ever met. He’s my biggest fan and probably the most considerate person in this house when it comes to my feelings. He thanks me profusely for things, tells me how much he loves the meals I cook, and tells me he loves me approximately one million times a day.

He also, along with his sister, asks me for things approximately 10,000 times a day.

“Mom, can we get pizza for dinner?”

“Mom, can you buy me the Fortnite Crew Pass today?”

“Mom, I need Robux.”

“Mom, can I get a treat?”

Etc. Etc. On and on and on.

We can hardly leave the house without someone asking where we’re going, whether they can get something while we’re there, or if we can stop somewhere for a treat.

And yes, I know this is pretty normal kid behaviour.

Kids want things. They have little lizard brains that thrive on immediate gratification, so of course they want every shiny little bauble they lay their eyes on.

And don’t even get me started on targeted advertising toward kids. That is a whole other rant for another day. 😅

But it has made me think a lot about how we talk to our kids about money.

Because sometimes the truth is simply:

That thing you want? It isn’t in the budget right now.

I think a lot of families are feeling the squeeze of how expensive life has become. Filling the grocery cart or putting gas in the car seems to cost dramatically more than it used to, and with me being on maternity leave right now, our budget is stretched pretty thin.

So sometimes I catch myself saying things like:

“We don’t have money for that right now.”

“Mommy doesn’t have money for candy today.”

“We need to wait until payday.”

And I’m trying to change that language.

Because I don’t want my kids hearing “we don’t have money for that” and interpreting it as “we don’t have enough money.”

I don’t want them worrying about whether we can buy groceries or pay the hydro bill. Those are adult worries, not theirs.

At the same time, I DO want them to understand that money is finite.

We have enough for what we need. But having money doesn’t mean we can spend it on everything we want.

So I’m trying to shift from:

“We can’t afford that.”

to things like:

“That’s not something we’re choosing to spend money on today.”

“That isn’t in our budget right now.”

“If that’s something you really want, let’s figure out how you could save or earn money toward it.”

“We already chose what we’re spending our fun money on this week.”

Because maybe the lesson isn’t “Mom doesn’t have money.”

Maybe the lesson is that money involves choices.

And I think that’s a much healthier lesson to teach them anyway.

So I’m curious: How do you talk to your kids about money?

Especially when the real answer genuinely IS, “That’s too expensive for us right now.”

How do you teach kids that there are limits to what you can spend without making them anxious about your family’s finances?

Because apparently “MOM” stands for Made Of Money, and I would very much like to speak to whoever started that rumour. 😂

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What Do You Say to Your Kids About Money?

I know I can’t be the only parent navigating this.

How do you respond when your kids ask for something that simply isn’t in the budget? Do you talk openly about money with them? Do you give allowances, have them earn spending money, or have a go-to phrase that doesn’t make them worry about the family finances?

I’d genuinely love to hear how other families handle it, so leave me a comment below and tell me what works in your house. I’m always interested in stealing… I mean, learning from… other parents’ good ideas. 😂

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If this particular parenting dilemma sounds familiar, there’s plenty more where that came from.

Stick around and read some of my other posts about parenting, motherhood, raising kids, surviving life with four children, and all the trial-and-error that happens somewhere in between.

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Because I certainly don’t have all the answers. But I’m more than happy to document myself figuring them out as I go.