Should You Let Your Children Make Their Own Financial Mistakes?

By Rod Anderson, CP Cartoonist Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Dear Chuck,

I've been reading about helicopter parenting, where parents hover over their children trying to control almost every aspect of their children's lives to get "the right" outcome, compared to so-called "Free Range" parents who are hands off. And then, of course, we've all seen stories of parental neglect, where parents don't care much at all. How does someone find the happy medium?

As my kids are getting older and preparing for college, I worry in particular that they are not ready to handle money, which can be very complicated, and I'd like to be involved in their financial decisions. How do I parent my kids about handling money without getting in the way of important life lessons?