A new survey from
Country Financial reveals that more men than women think saving for a child's education is of greater importance than funding their own retirement.
The dads are dead wrong in this case, according to Clark. Mothers only fare slightly better, with roughly equal amounts falling on either side of the question.
As parents, we all know it would be great to do
everything possible for our kids. But the most important thing you can do is provide good guidance and discipline, plus ensure the feeding and care of your children in a safe, healthy environment.
The idea of saving for a child's education is a very modern notion. It didn't exist for most of human history. Yet many of us are already fixated on this idea as the "be all, end all" of good parenting.
The whole debate makes Clark recall an episode from his life. Following his dad's death, Clark's mom began spending like mad. That prompted the consumer champ and his siblings to have a private argument about whether or not to have a serious talk with their mother about her spending habits.
One side said, "She's an adult, leave her be." But Clark disagreed. He reasoned that if they let her spending go unchecked, their mother might soon be asking
them for money once she burned through her own. No one liked that scenario!
It goes back to something that Clark's late dad would often say: One parent can take care of 10 kids, but 10 kids can't care for one parent.
Just remember that there are no scholarships for retirement.
But for college, there are grants, work-study, regular jobs, scholarships, loans, reducing your educational costs by going into public service or the military, going the community college route, etc.
So dads, your hearts are in the right place, but your heads are not. You've got to do the practical thing and save for your future. We won't all be healthy enough to work for the rest of our lives. So listen to your wife on this one -- she knows better!
