It was another lazy Saturday and I was spending it with my grandson. Of course, “lazy” means something different when you’re on a mission. That meant I was relaxing a bit before heading out to one of my various hu$tles. The Little Dude climbed into bed with me, asking what I was doing on my laptop. “Business,” I replied, which he repeated.

The webinar I was watching and the business venture I was considering was way over his head. I wasn’t tuned in to a video featuring a cutesy, colorful, furry puppet singing songs about spelling, counting, or shapes. However, my grandson was used to seeing me looking over business matters and planning my next move. As the poem says, children learn what they live.

Oddly, a decade or so before becoming a mother, my daughter was well-versed in the power of the hu$tle. She was quite the social butterfly, wanting to hang out with her friends, yet too young to work at the time. Her mom and I granted a weekly allowance that depended on how thoroughly the kids did their chores. Let’s just say my baby girl was down for taking on extra chores to earn more money than her brothers. By the time she reached working age, she took two jobs, amazing us all.

As parents, aunts, uncles, and mentors, we have a huge influence over what our children do. Growing up, I had many friends whose parents smoked like chimneys while telling their offspring not to pick up the habit. But guess what happened as soon as they could get their hands on their first cigarette?

We only get a short time to be the primary influences before children are bombarded by 3,000 channels, streaming services, social media, gaming, et al–and that’s before we even mention their friends.

It is up to us to set good examples of what they see, hear, and experience. And I ain’t talking about worshipping your child in the sickening, unhealthy way some parents do. What I am talking about is giving them the tools that will take them in a positive direction. Though they may be too young to understand the complex math, mental gymnastics, and cognitive mechanics of juggling a primary gig, a couple of side hu$tles, and going to school to get a new cert or degree, but they’ll get the gist of it.

If you want to create the next generation of superheroes, you have to show them their potential to fly by what you do.

Allow them to be kids and enjoy childhood (which is imperative) while introducing them to the power and control of handling finances. The simplest way is to help them start a small business of their own. Help them set up a lemonade stand on a hot day; encourage them to cut lawns or carry groceries for neighbors.

Instead of purchasing them the next set of toys over which you will trip or step on (Lego blocks, I’m lookin’ at you!), teach them how to save part of their money, while occasionally buying something they want. For example, Junior wants a bike. Throughout fall and winter he’s assisted Mrs. Crabtree with small jobs, like carrying her groceries, shoveling snow, and walking her pet chihuahua, Pedro. She gives Junior a few dollars each week for his help. You set up an account or place the money in a piggybank. By the time summer has arrived, Junior has enough money set aside for a new bicycle, and then some. And with him earning the money to get the bike, he’s more likely to take care of it.

Next level thinking: Can you encourage Junior to come up with ideas on how he could make some money using his bicycle? The concept is to get your child into the habit of making, saving, and investing money, while setting certain goals and rewards in place.

I have one daughter and three sons. When they were little, we had a system in place that encouraged them to get good grades. For instance, every “A” might pay $5.00, a “D” might yield $0.00, and each “F” would subtract $5.00. A spot on the honor roll could mean a trip out to a favorite restaurant or some other treat. It inspired a friendly competition (because, though commonly accepted, a contestant shouldn’t be given a blue ribbon for simply participating; it sets a bad example, doesn’t tap into success thinking, and allows children to not mind losing) and encouraged our brood to control how much they could pocket at the end of a semester.

GRADE	VALUE
A	$5.00
B	$3.00
C	$1.00
D	$0.00
F	-$5.00

Learn the unique personalities of each of the little ones under your mentorship. Find out what motivates them. After all, the first 18 years are the training ground, where most mistakes are minor, and guidance should be readily available. Raise them to be winners.