Greatest Love - Whitney Houston

I believe the children are our future 
Teach them well and let them lead the way 
Show them all the beauty they possess inside 
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be 

Everybody searching for a hero 
People need someone to look up to 
I never found anyone to fulfill my needs 
A lonely place to be 
So I learned to depend on me 

[Chorus:]

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows 
If I fail, if I succeed 
At least I lived as I believe 
No matter what they take from me 
They can't take away my dignity 
Because the greatest love of all 
Is happening to me 
I found the greatest love of all 
Inside of me 
The greatest love of all 
Is easy to achieve 
#Learningtoloveyourself 
#Itisthegreatestloveofall 

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way 
Show them all the beauty they possess inside 
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier 
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be 

[Chorus]

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows 
If I fail, if I succeed 
At least I lived as I believe 
No matter what they take from me 
They can't take away my dignity 
Because the greatest love of all 
Is happening to me 
I found the greatest love of all 
Inside of me 
The greatest love of all 
Is easy to achieve 
#Learningtoloveyourself 
#Itisthegreatestloveofall

And if by chance, that special place 
That you've been dreaming of 
Leads you to a lonely place 
Find your strength in love

3 Essential Money Lessons To Teach Your Children

When your mother is a financial advisor, you tend to learn about money at a very young age.

Gail Winslow, a financial advisor with RBC Wealth Management in Washington, D.C. and mother of six (and grandmother of six more), says she gave her kids an allowance when they were eight years old, and immediately began teaching them the basics of managing money.

“If they wanted to buy gum with their allowance, they could, but if they wanted something bigger they had to learn to save for it,” says Winslow. “If they didn’t have the money saved, they didn’t get it.”

Think that’s young?

Darla Kashian, a financial advisor and first vice president with RBC Wealth Management in Minneapolis, says that kids as young as three-years-old understand that you exchange money to buy things.

She gives her two children—ages five and eight—one quarter every Friday for each year of their age.

In other words, one gets $1.25 per week and the other receives $2.

“It’s so important to teach kids about saving for the future and to express your family values,” says Kashian.

“We actively save money for our philanthropic activities and talk to our kids about it.”

Winslow and Kashian have a wealth of information to impart to their kids, but here are three lessons they agree are essential.

1. Pay Yourself First

“Put away money from every single paycheck starting with the very first one you earn,” advises Winslow.

“Don’t wait until the end of the month because there won’t be anything left.”

Kashian says that understanding how compounding interest works is crucial to growing wealth.

“The ability to postpone gratification now for greater things in the future is a lesson that should be taught as early as possible.

Understanding the power of compounding interest is a part of that lesson.”

“Every child should be taught to be mindful of what each decision they make means for their financial future,” says Kashian.

2. Understand How Debt Works

Kashian requires her kids to have cash with them if they want to make a purchase. As she puts it, “I’m a human being, not a bank.” 

And she’s already talking with her children about how to pay for college.

“My goal over the course of their growing up is to have transparency,” she says. “I want to make sure that none of our expectations come as a surprise and that none of the financial realities of life come as a surprise.”

“Do not ever charge anything you can’t pay for,” warns Winslow.

But Winslow also says that part of understanding debt is knowing that the occasional debt can be financially beneficial. 

She says one of the best investments in the world is a 30-year mortgage, especially when interest rates are under four percent.

3. Integrate Your Values with Your Money

“Integrating your values and your money means that teaching your kids about money becomes part of a bigger mission,” says Kashian.

“If they learn to think about their values while they’re making decisions then it’s easier to understand when to save for the future and when it makes sense to spend money.”

When her children buy something with their own money, Kashian pays the sales tax. “I want them to understand that I believe in taxes as a way to support our community,” she says.

Kashian comes from a working class family that didn’t have extra money to spare for the violin lessons she wanted to take.

After some family discussions, her father agreed to pay for every other lesson if she could pay for the rest.

“I never missed a single violin lesson because I understood what it cost,” she says.

Kashian says she wants her children to understand their privilege to be raised in a household with money, and to know that the money comes from the family’s hard, honest work.

She says parents and grandparents need to learn to articulate the planning, the sacrifices, and the savings required to provide special experiences for their children and grandchildren.

Final Thoughts on Money Lessons for Kids

“Teach your children to be reasonable with their money—and not extravagant—and to save, save, and save some more and they’ll live a secure life,” says Winslow.

Kashian says that parents shouldn’t be nervous about teaching their kids about money.

“It’s kind of like the ‘New Math’ — just stay one step ahead of your kids and learn alongside them if your experience growing up wasn’t optimal,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be super-complicated. You can always ask for help from a financial advisor—that’s the key to long-term generational wealth.”

Dedicated To Nigerian Children And Children All Over The World

Greatest Love - Whitney Houston

I believe the children are our are future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

Everybody searching for a hero

People need someone to look up to

I never found anyone who fulfill my needs

A lonely place to be

So I learned to depend on me

[Chorus]

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows

If I fail, if I succeed

At least I'll live as I believe

No matter what they take from me

They can't take away my dignity

Because the greatest love of all

Is happening to me

I found the greatest love of all

Inside of me

The greatest love of all

Is easy to achieve

Learning to love yourself

It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

[Chorus]

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows

If I fail, if I succeed

At least I'll live as I believe

No matter what they take from me

They can't take away my dignity

Because the greatest love of all

Is happening to me

I found the greatest love of all

Inside of me

And if by chance, that special place

That you've been dreaming of

Leads you to a lonely place

Find your strength in love

It's May 27th And It's Children's Day

It's May 27th and by the traditions and customs of our land, it is dubbed Children's day.

A day set aside to actually celebrate Children.

Prior to 1999, it used to be marked with funfare and celebrations for children especially at the various stadia that litter the Country.

Recitations, Poems, Group Dances, Songs and all that used to take place during such celebrations even march past.

But with the renaming of May 29 as Democracy Day instead of June 12, the significance of May 27 was swallowed up that today, it has just become like any other day.

Nothing special for the kids

Well I believe that Children are the future of every family and every Nation, without them, there can be no tomorrow.

And you know what, the best world to live in is the world of the Child that is why even as adults closer to our graves, we still massage the little child in us and sometimes dance to its steps and rhythm.

Today, I pray that God will bless all the Children of this world and save those of them that are wallowing in penury, lack and abject poverty. Those in war torn zones, those that are being used as human shields in the form of child soldiers and those that have been brainwashed to act as suicide bombers - God help

Bless our little Children Oh Lord!!!!

#DrJTF

How Not To Train Children

HOW NOT TO TRAIN CHILDREN

I HAVE NO IDEA WHO WROTE THIS BUT IT MAKES INTERESTING READING & FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Friends, Let me add the benefit of my time as a student and then resident in the UK-and I live in Lagos now.

The first thing that I discovered about UK-born, white, English undergraduates was that all of them did holiday or weekend job to support themselves-including the children of millionaires amongst them.

It is the norm over there- regardless how wealthy their parents are. And I soon discovered that virtually all other foreign students did the same-the exception being those of us status-conscious Nigerians.

I also watched Richard Branson (owner of Virgin Airline) speaking on the Biography Channel and, to my amazement, he said that his young children travel in the economy class-even when the parents (he and his wife) are in upper class. Richard Branson is a billionaire in Pound Sterling.

A quick survey would show you that only children from Nigeria fly business or first class to commence their studies in the UK. No other foreign students do this.

There is no aircraft attached to the office of the prime minister in the UK-he travels on BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA).

And the same goes for the Royals. The Queen does not have an aircraft for her exclusive use.

These practices simply become the culture which the next generation carries forward.

Have you seen the car that Kate Middleton(the lady soon to marry Prince William ) drives? VW Golf or something close to it.

But there's one core difference between them and us(generally speaking).

They (even the billionaires among them) work for their money, we steal ours!

If we want our children to bring about the desired change we have been praying for on behalf of our dear country, then please, please let's begin now and teach them to work hard so they can stand alone and most importantly be content, and not having to "steal", which seems to be the norm these days.

"30 is the new 18", which seems to be the new age for testing out the world in Nigeria now. That seems to be an unspoken but widely accepted mind set among the last 2 generations of parents in Nigeria.

At age 18 years, a typical young adult in the UK leaves the clutches of his/her parents for the University, chances are, that's the last time those parents will ever play "landlord" to their son or daughter except of course the occasional home visits during the academic year.

At 21 years and above or below, the now fully grown and independent minded adult graduates from University, searches for employment, gets a job and shares a flat with other young people on a journey into becoming fully fledged adults.

I can hear the echo of parents saying, well, that is because the UK economy is thriving, safe, well structured and jobs are everywhere?

I beg to differ and I ask that you kindly hear me out. I am UK trained Recruitment Consultant and I have been practicing for the past 10 years in Nigeria.

I have a broad range of experience from recruiting graduates to executive director level of large corporations.

In addition, I talk from the point of view of someone with relatively privileged upbringing. Driven to school every day, had my clothes washed for me, was barred from taking any part-time job during my A-levels so that I could concentrate on studying for my exams?!

BUT, I got the opportunity to live apart from my parents from age 18 and the only time I came back home to stay was for 3 months before I got married!

Am I saying that every parent should wash their hands off their children at age 18?

No, not at all, of course, I enjoyed the savings that I made from living on and off at my parent's house in London - indeed that is the primary reason for my being able to buy myself a 3 bedroom flat in London at age 25 with absolutely no direct financial help from my parents!

For me, pocket money stopped at age 22, not that it was ever enough for my lifestyle to compete with Paris Hilton 's or Victoria Beckham 's.

Meanwhile today, we have Nigerian children who have never worked for 5 minutes in their lives insisting on flying "only" first or business class, carrying the latest Louis Vuitton ensemble, Victoria's Secret underwear and wearing Jimmy Choo's, fully paid for by their "loving" parents.

I often get calls from anxious parents, my son graduated 2 years ago and is still looking for a job, can you please assist!

Oh really! So where exactly is this "child" is my usual question. Why are you the one making this call dad/mum?

I am yet to get a satisfactory answer, but between you and me, chances are that big boy is cruising around Lagos with a babe dressed to the nines, in his dad's spanking new SUV with enough "pocket money" to put your salary to shame.

It is not at all strange to have a 28 year old who has NEVER worked for a day in his or her life in Nigeria but "earns" a six figure "salary" from parents for doing absolutely nothing.

I see them in my office once in a while, 26 years old with absolutely no skills to sell, apart from a shiny CV, written by his dad's secretary in the office.

Of course, he has a driver at his beck and call and he is driven to the job interview.

We have a fairly decent conversation and we get to the inevitable question-so, what salary are you looking to earn? Answer comes straight out- N250,000.00. I ask if that is per month or per annum. Of course it is per month. Oh, why do you think you should be earning that much on your first job? Well, because my current pocket money is N200,000.00 and I feel that an employer should be able to pay me more than my parents.

I try very hard to compose myself, over parenting is in my opinion the greatest evil handicapping the Nigerian youth. It is at the root of our national malaise.

We have a youth population of tens of millions of who are being "breastfed and diapered" well into their 30s.

Even though the examples I have given above are from parents of considerable affluence, similar patterns can be observed from Abeokuta to Adamawa!

Wake up mum! Wake up dad! You are practically loving your children to death!

No wonder corruption continues to thrive.

We have a society of young people who have been brought up to expect something for nothing, as if it were a birth right.

I want to encourage you to send your young men and women (anyone over 20 can hardly be called a child!) out into the world, maybe even consider reducing or stopping the pocket money to encourage them to think, explore and strive.

Let them know that it is possible for them to succeed without your "help". Take a moment to think back to your own time as a young man/woman, what if someone had kept spoon feeding you, would you be where you are today?.

 No tree grows well under another tree, children that are not exposed to challenges, don't cook well.

That is why you see adults complaining, "my parents didn't buy clothes for me this christmas", ask him/her how old they are-30+.

Because of the challenges we faced in our youth, we are where and what we are today, this syndrome-my children will not suffer what I suffered is destroying our tomorrow.

Deliberately reduce their allowance or mum-don't cook on Saturday till late afternoon or evening, do as occasion deserves.

I learnt the children of some former Nigerian billionaires (with all the stolen billions - monies in their custody), still go about with security escort as wrecks. They are on drugs, several times because of the drug, they collapse in public places. The escort will quickly pack them up and off they go, what a life. No one wants to marry them.

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.

The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.-( Henry Ford).

Hard work does not kill.

Everything in Nigeria is going down, including family settings.

It is time to rebrand our children, preparing them for tomorrow.

We are approaching the season in Nigeria where only the RUGGED, will survive. How will your ward fare?

If the present generation of Nigerian pilots retire, will you fly a plane flown by a young Nigerian pilot, If trained in Nigeria?

People now fly first class, who cannot spell GRADUATE or read an article without bomb blast! Which Way Nigeria!, Which Way Nigerians!!

Is this how we will ALL sit and watch this country SINK?

Author --------- Unknown