The Report Card Your Child Will Never Bring Home

Good morning, my friends. I am Dr. Celso, your Financial Doctor from Goa. Please, sit. Have some chai. Today, I want to talk to you not as a doctor, but as a teacher. And you are my students.

Every parent I meet is anxious about one report card—the one with percentages, ranks, and remarks. We push, we tutor, we dream of IITs and medical colleges. But tell me, in this grand classroom of life, are we preparing our children for the most important exam of all?

The Silent Subject No One Teaches

Imagine two brilliant students. Rohan, who aces every test, becomes a top engineer. He gets a massive salary, buys a big car, takes lavish holidays on EMI, and feels like a king. His friend, Arjun, gets decent marks, but his father sat him down at 16 and taught him a different subject. The subject of money.

Fast forward 15 years. There is a global recession. Rohan’s lavish EMIs become chains. The job feels like a trap. The stress is immense. Arjun, however, has no car loan. His home is partly paid for. He has investments quietly growing. He has a choice. He can weather the storm. Who is truly free?

The wealthiest place on the planet is not a bank or a stock exchange. It is the cemetery. Buried there are dreams that never happened, ideas that were never acted on, and financial freedom that was never understood.

Your Child's Real Life-Skills Syllabus

We teach children to earn. But do we teach them what to do after they earn? We tell them to get a safe job. But do we teach them how to make their money work so *they* don't have to?

This is not about making them stock market experts at 10. It is about planting seeds.

• Seed of Saving: Not just for a new video game, but for a future they cannot yet see.
• Seed of Investing: Showing them how a small amount today can become a giant tree tomorrow.
• Seed of Debt: Teaching them that some debt is a useful tool, but most debt is a dangerous master.

When you teach this, you are not giving them fish. You are not even teaching them to fish. You are teaching them to build a fishing boat, hire a crew, and create an income that outlasts them.

Your Final Lesson For Today

So, my dear student-parents, here is your homework. Your action plan. This is the syllabus you must implement at home, starting this week.

1. Start the Money Conversation: At dinner, talk about needs vs. wants. Explain the bill that came in the mail. Make money a normal, healthy topic, not a secret.
2. Give Responsibility, Not Just Pocket Money: Create a simple budget for their expenses. Let them manage it. Let them make small mistakes now, when the cost is a toy, not a home loan.
3. Open Their First Investment: Go to the post office or a bank. Open a recurring deposit or a small SIP in their name. Show them the statement every month. Let them watch the number grow.
4. Lead by Example: Speak about your financial goals. "We are saving for this family holiday." Show them delayed gratification. Your actions are their loudest textbook.
5. Celebrate Financial Milestones: When an investment matures, or a saving goal is met, celebrate it! Make understanding money a cause for joy, not fear.

The greatest inheritance you can leave your children is not your money, but the wisdom to handle it.