Sometimes, people are stingy when it comes to investing in their children and decide that a certain thing is just too expensive. I certainly don’t mean to imply that parents should spoil their children and purchase anything they ask for, but there are times when a parent decides that a particular expense is too much, and later, when refusing to pay has negative results, they end up having (even willingly) to pay much more to fix things.
For instance, if a child needs specialized help or therapy, it’s going to cost a lot. Sometimes, a few dollars of wise investment can mean avoiding the necessity for therapy later on. I often tell parents that there are many things that are cheaper than therapy, and being stingy now could mean that later, one ends up paying a lot more.
Someone recently told me about a certain couple who went to a shalom bayis counselor every week, which cost two hundred dollars each time. The counselor mentioned one particular session when the entire discussion revolved around a fight the couple had over fifty dollars. The wife wanted fifty dollars to buy something and the husband refused to give it to her, and they were arguing over whether she deserved the money or not.
The counselor turned to the husband and said, “You know what? I have an excellent idea for you! Let’s skip next week’s session, and you’ll save two hundred dollars just like that. Then, give your wife the fifty dollars she wants, and you’ll still be $150 better off. What do you say to that?”
The husband shook his head. The counselor said, “I don’t understand. You’re prepared to spend $200 here every week, but you won’t give your wife $50?”
“For shalom bayis, I’d pay anything!” the husband responded.
Unfortunately, many of us, when we’re being honest, can relate to this situation. Many people claim to be willing to do “anything” for their children, and yet when it comes down to it, they aren’t really willing to invest what needs to be invested, to ensure the best outcome for them.
