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My child understands money concepts, so why do they still freeze, avoid, or panic... leaving me worried.
Many children grow up in families where permission to simply be themselves isn’t granted. Unknowingly, Parents create a scenario where every choice requires approval. This gives parents a sense of control. However, the child loses their agency when this behaviour goes on for too long.
Smart teens don’t lack intelligence. They lack emotional permission around money.
Invisible Patterns
Invisible Patterns
Children and teens often feel they might get it wrong. Or that they aren’t equipped. Or that they just lack maturity.
Another aspect revolves around seeking the parent’s approval; when the parent approves of the child’s choice, that’s when it is valid. Money anxiety is not caused by ignorance. It’s caused by how decisions, mistakes, and authority were handled growing up. Think of a teen hesitating to spend on a school project or asking repeatedly before making a small purchase.
Emotional Environment
Emotional Environment
Teenagers learn about money from their emotional environment. Despite doing everything right, many teens feel that they are ‘never enough’ or that they just can’t seem to get it right. It’s what their parents are projecting onto their children. This is a way to maintain their control and authority. This is one of the dangerous invisible pattern that’s formed early on. It hampers children from making independent decisions, which is the bedrock for financial literacy.
Oh no! Mistakes
Oh no! Mistakes
Another invisible pattern that’s formed in many families relates to making mistakes. Many Indian families think committing mistakes is wrong; this is a heavy burden to carry. Teenagers who grow up in an environment where making mistakes is dangerous and unsafe, and money conversations are loaded, those households eventually become toxic.
When there’s no space to just be and commit mistakes, it means the family is not allowed to grow.
What Parents often miss?
What Parents often miss?
Many Parents focus on skills first, but skills collapse without emotional safety. When emotional safety isn’t created, a teen’s body and environment feel unsafe.
Hence, any skill stacked becomes irrelevant. When a real situation shows up, the teen isn’t able to move and display confidence; rather teen begins to hide and shrink themselves as there is no space to grow. They aren’t able to articulate all this, but they might be growing up in an environment where parents are unconsciously repeating patterns of their past.
In the Money Mindset Shift experience, we guide teens to see money not just as numbers, but as a reflection of their choices, emotions, and confidence. Using relatable scenarios that are often drawn from films and stories they already know, they begin to notice how they react under pressure, how they freeze, overthink, or feel anxious. By understanding these patterns first, before diving into financial skills, teens develop a calm, composed, and intentional relationship with money. They learn to make decisions confidently, manage challenges thoughtfully, and move in the world with clarity, all without force, judgment, or fear.
They also learn financial skills that are important for the real-world, such as investing, budgeting, and banking. Armed with these tools and skills, the teenager becomes a cool finance Ninja, who relates with money in a calm and composed manner, doesn’t lose their cool, and moves intentionally.
If your teen is "good with money" but still anxious, this is the gap we work on inside the Money Mindset Shift experience. As a parent, you can take a mindful step this week: choose one conversation with your teen to practice curiosity over control. Encourage open discussions about financial decisions and feelings, creating a supportive environment where they feel safe to express and explore their thoughts. This small commitment could cultivate confidence and reduce anxiety in their financial journey.
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