Credit cards are not the devil that so many people think that they are; but neither are kids. When you stop and think about it, however, kids and credit cards are a lot more alike than you might think. For instance, I spend just as much time wondering if my credit card is going to ruin my future as I do wondering if my kids are going to ruin my future. Will I rely on my cards someday too much and end up in debt with no way of paying it off? Will my kids cost me so much money that I can’t afford to retire since I’m paying for four college educations and three weddings (maybe one or more of the girls will marry rich…kidding; kind of). The more I think about it, the more I think that my kids and my credit cards are exactly alike; they’re stressful and necessary, and I can’t just get rid of them when I feel that they’ve done their job and run their course in my house.
Are you Paying Enough Attention?
I wonder every single day if my kids get enough of my attention. Even though I know it’s fruitless to worry because they get all the attention they need and want – but I still worry. I also wonder if my credit card is getting enough attention. Do I look it enough to ensure that it’s being used correctly? Do I pay enough attention to the details and the ins and outs of it?
Are you Giving it Too Much Attention?
Another one of the endless worries moms have is whether or not they give their kids too much attention. Am I spoiling them and making them monsters? Am I too giving and catering and willing to handle every single need? The same goes for credit cards. Do you spend too much time thinking about them? That could indicate that you have a bit of a problem, you know.
Are you Using it too Much?
I wonder this about my kids and my credit card. Sometimes I wonder if I’m using my two older girls too much. “Honey, will you grab the baby some toys? Honey, will you grab the remote and turn on Peppa Pig for the babies?” I wonder if asking them to help me out is a bit too much from time to time and if I’m crossing the line between “I have my hands in a dirty diaper and can’t hand the baby her cup so can you do it for me please?” and lazy. I also worry that I’m using my credit card too much when I go shopping.
Are you not Using it Enough?
You know your credit card is something that you have to use on occasion to benefit your credit score, but are you using it enough? Does that one tank of gas you use it for every month and pay off count as usage sufficient enough to boost your credit score or is it a waste of your time? Do I make sure the kids are taking on enough responsibility around the house or am I letting them become too lazy every time I clean up behind them just to get the job done correctly?
You Worry Someone Else will take It
I worry all the time that if I take my eyes off my kids for a second someone else will grab them and run off. I worry about them with other adults, with other people at school and extracurricular activities. I also worry that some nefarious criminal will get a hold of my cards and use them for inappropriate circumstances. My credit cards are nowhere near as important to me as my kids, but I still worry about both falling into the wrong hands.
You Think about it All the Time
I do. I think about my finances and my kids all the time, and they’re both mind sucking thoughts that are mostly pointless. You know that saying from Pinterest that says, “Worrying is like praying for what you don’t want?” Well, I’m a worrier and that’s my nature, and those are two of the things I worry most about. My kids and my finances. I need one to take care of the other, and I need both to keep me sane and happy.
You Wonder if you Have Enough/Too Much
I have four kids and one credit card, and sometimes I wonder if I should have gone the opposite direction with those numbers. Then I remember that my kids bring me happiness. And bugs. And dirty diapers. And homework. And 7 am Saturday morning football games for three solid months. My credit cards don’t bring me anything. Except they could bring me more Louboutins and vacations. But my kids really do make me happier. Really. They do.
You Worry it’ll get you in Trouble
Every. Single. Day. Will I one day decide that I don’t need to pay my card off in full this month so that I can use the cash for something else? Will my kids end up getting into trouble in some way? Will they all stay good and healthy and do things wisely? Will I get in trouble with my credit cards on a major vacation or shopping spree I cannot resist? Will my kids end up arrested for doing something stupid because I forget to teach them some kind of valuable lesson at some point in their childhood? Why on earth do I let so many other things control my train of thought?
You Sometimes Wonder if it was a Good Decision
All the time. Of course, I need a credit card for booking rental cars and hotels. I need my kids because I love them and they mean everything to me. Every so often, though, you wonder if you hadn’t had them, what would your life be like? It’s an interesting thought. Of course, no matter how clean my house, how much white décor I could have without kids and how many amazing things I could be doing without kids, I still wouldn’t trade the little monsters for anything. They’ve sucked me in and made me fall in love.
It’s Expensive
And that is all you need to know about kids and credit cards.
Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Comments
Loading…