526 Giving Our Kids Less Part 2
“Clothman, I loved your column about giving your kids less so they would have more character and be better prepared for life. My parents did the same for me and my five siblings and we all seemed to have turned out okay. However, I’m wondering if you’re going to change once your children are gone? Was your lifestyle for real or just a parenting tool?” -Carolyn
Yee gads Carolyn, you are as direct as a heat-seeking missile. So you’re wondering if we really practice what we preach? Reminds me of Al Gore who, for all the good he was doing for the issue of global climate change, overlooked the fact that he lived in a home with a carbon foot print the size of Sasquatch. (Gore has since upgraded his home and continues his good work.)
To be honest, my answer will only be as certain as a presidential campaign promise. Clothwoman and I are still two years from being empty-nesters and the proof is in a pudding that still cooking on the stove. However, I attended my 30 year class reunion three years ago, recently navigated a mid-life crisis and am less than four years from ordering from the senior’s menu; so I hope I’ve lived long enough to be able to predict our future.
There is an enormous difference between scratching for every dollar to pay the monthly bills and choosing to live on less than you have. As a child our family lived from paycheck-to-paycheck and once in awhile from meal-to-meal. It’s hard to explain how de-humanizing that is. Yes, it can form character but only if it doesn’t break your spirit first.
Three decades later Clothwoman and I are nearly debt free, have a membership with a vacation club, are building investments for our future and we indeed live on less than we have.
After Clothboy heads off to college we could easily afford newer, bigger and better upgrades to almost everything and there is a small part of us that would like to do just that. However, Jesus’ brilliant words have instilled in us a more exciting prospect …contentedness. We love it when Jesus says, “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers – most of which are never even seen – don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving” (Matthew 6:30-31).
So to answer your question, no, we don’t plan on changing our lifestyle as empty-nesters. In fact, we eventually plan to downsize further and look forward to being able to give even more time and resources toward the needs of our fellow humans and this awesome planet.
In contrast to our hard working parent’s end-of-life situations which we’ve had to subsidize for some time now, we hope to be able to pass on some financial inheritance to Clothgirl and Clothboy after our lights go out on this third rock from the sun. But we pray we’ve already given them a greater inheritance as we’ve tried to follow Jesus’ lifestyle of simplicity.
Alright Carolyn, I must be honest, there is at least one extravagance I plan to blow some of that empty-nester money on. A 1970 Plymouth Barracuda with the 440 magnum engine which I’ll take on a road trip with Clothboy to the NASCAR race in Bristol Tennessee. After which I’ll probably have to say, “Forgive me Father – for I have sinned.” I’ll probably do so with a smile on my wrinkled old face.
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