1. I have two very early memories from my childhood. I'm not sure which came first. I remember my dad taking us to the bank to open savings accounts and telling us that for every dollar that we put into the account, he would add one. I was sure I would be rich! Another time, I remember I wanted to buy something and my mother told me we didn't have enough money, so I said, "Then just write a check and you can get more money." I thought that's how it worked. I didn't realize that money actually had to back that check. Oops.
2. My mother always stressed saving, but never really gave us any concrete understanding about how to go about that. Somehow, my little brother must have learned by osmosis. Me, it took me until a couple of years ago to figure it out. It just never seemed right to me that I should put all of my birthday money or any money that I earned later on into savings and not be able to at least spend some of it. It would have been helpful for her to explain how and not just say to do it.
3. I believe that having had to figure out money on my own makes me more empathetic to those who struggle to manage money and give me more patience in explaining how to go about making sure there's enough to pay the bills while still being able to make sure there's enough in case some day there isn't enough to pay the bills.