I was having breakfast with a lawyer a few weeks ago. He’s older than me; his kids are out of law school and starting their careers.
As a side note: I think I’ll have been kind of a failure as a parent if my kids become lawyers. I like the John Adams idea that I study law so that my kids can study art or philosophy. Or, if not art, something that they choose. Seeing someone follow in their parents’ footsteps, if they haven’t tried something else, makes me depressed. Is progress not the goal? Must we all be sheep? Well-shorn sheep, to be sure, but no more in charge of our own path in life. Though, of course, I also strive to be less judgmental. Let a thousand flowers bloom. Etc.
Anyway, I asked my breakfast companion for parenting advice, since he seemed like the kind of person who would like to be asked for advice.
His advice: don’t send your kids to private school.
At the end of each year, we give money way. Even though I’m trying to pound cash into investments, I think it’s important for a few reasons:
It’s good to help people.
It’s good karma.
It’s tax deductible.
Beside that, it presents a good opportunity to teach my kids both about other people in the world and about money.
This is something we have that others don’t.
Our system is this – I sit down with the kids and we review a list of nonprofits. (my wife and I divide our contributions in half – she gives her half away in a different way.) The kids and I look at groups in four buckets: international; domestic anti-poverty groups; the arts; and political/advocacy.
Anyway, I asked my breakfast companion for parenting advice, since he seemed like the kind of person who would like to be asked for advice.