My pastor, Dan Scott, said something a few years ago that drastically changed the way that I view finances. He said that the true sign of financial maturity is when your attention shifts to providing for generations after you. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the finances available to start funds for your ancestors, but that your mindset changes from “planning for me” to “planning for them.”

We live in a society that has seemingly abandoned the practice of passing financial integrity on to the next generation. If parents don’t teach their children how to be responsible with money, who will? The credit card companies? Wall Street? The banks?

Fortunately, I came from a family with financial integrity. I can remember my mother sitting me down and teaching me how to balance my first check book. She explained odd terms like interest rate and grace period. She taught me truths about giving to others in need and saving up “mad money” for a rainy day. When I got married she asked if we had started a started a 401K. When our little family began to grow, she asked if we had purchased life insurance.

My husband and I purchased life insurance policies in 2007. We bought as much as we could afford, which wasn’t a lot. In 2008 he never made it to pick up the kids after work; he was killed instantly in a car accident. He was 25. In one short moment I was left as the sole provider for our family with mortgages, auto loans, daycare, funeral expenses and much more to worry about – much less college tuitions, my daughter’s wedding someday, or Will’s professional comedy lessons.

If you are a parent without life insurance, please make whatever sacrifices are necessary to get it. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow and sometimes tomorrow really doesn’t come.

Thank you Mom.

If you want to read about another great mom teaching her kids about money check out the Triple Smiles blog called Cheerful Giving!