* photo from stockfreeimages.com
I was flipping channels last week and came across ABC’s Shark Tank.
Shark Tank is show where young entrepreneurs pitch a business idea to potential investors.
The loud, bold, outrageous and eccentric Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is one of the “I’m gonna tell you what I really think” investors.
As Mark is “projectile vomiting” business wisdom on the studio audience, he said something that really caught my attention.
First,
If you don’t know who Mark Cuban is, here is some helpful info…
- Mark is the highly successful entrepreneur and investor who founded HDNet
- He is the genius behind the multi – million dollar Broadcast.com
- He started and sold Microsolutions
- Mark is the owner of The Dallas Mavericks (who were put out of their misery by the Oklahoma City Thunder…Can I get an AMEN!!)
- Mark owns multiple cable, movie and internet driven companies
- He is worth an estimated 2.5 billion dollars
So as I was watching SharkTank, here is what Mark Cuban said that impressed the heck out of me…
“Do you want to know how I got my start.”
“I got my start when I was 12 years old.”
“I asked my dad to buy me an expensive pair of basketball shoes, he said no…”
“So I went door to door selling trash bags, earning MY OWN money to buy those shoes.”
Mark Cuban was told “NO” and it fueled a creative, resourceful, resiliant, entrepreneurial spirit in Mark.
Mom and Dad, what do you need to say “NO” to today?
- New shoes
- Fun Dip
- Amusement park pass
- iPhone
- Leap Frog
- Miss Me Jeans
- A hip and hot Garanimals outfit
- A Longboard
- American Girl Doll
- Zips
Mom and Dad…
I believe that when we PROVIDE we actually DEPRIVE!!
Bam…that was good. I’m gonna say that again.
WHEN YOU PROVIDE
YOU DEPRIVE!
(don’t email me…you get the idea)
What is 1 thing you need to say “NO” to today?
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Need to or not…we have said no to a laptop for our 10 year old. Several years ago we matched his money so he could buy one. After about a year the hard drive crashed. My first instinct was to replace it…you know, “fix the problem”. After thinking about it I decided not to. I replaced my computer and let him use my older one. It broke. I told him we can share.
He recently asked for us to match the money he makes again. I turned him down. This resulted in hurt feelings and an upset boy. I’m sticking to my guns. We have too much electronic influence already and if he wants to save up we will allow him to have another computer (with proper supervision).
Saying no stinks. It’s SO much easier to just say yes and move on. Have to stand up and do the right thing though whether we like it or not.
A very smart lady told me recently that “when you have children your life is not your own”. I have had to rethink a lot of things based on that statement.
Chris, thanks for what you do. I need all of the help I can get.
I would caution saying no for the sake of saying no with older kids in particular. They want to understand why. Simply saying no without an explanation to an 8+ yr old can tear down relationships which are way more important than teaching a lesson on be resourceful.
Hank, I would agree with that for all ages. “Because I said so” was never fun to hear as a kid. I do however think that saying no, and explaining why, to things can build character and teach a child to be resourceful.
I don’t think there are many parents who would say no just to be denying their children something. I think that way too often we say yes just to make things more convenient or easier for ourselves. We know they shouldn’t be watching that TV show or playing video games for as long as they do but we also know that if we make them stop they are going to pester us….so we just say yes and they leave us alone.
What is so special about a kid making some cash? Kids do it all the time. Somehow Mark Cuban acts like he invented the concept. Get over yourself.
Our friends thought we were horrible, but we had our son save up for a Wii. My husband always says, “how bad do you want it? What are you willing to give up to get it?” He saved birthday and Christmas money, made money around the house for extra chores, and earned gift cards at church. Boy, was he proud when he bought it! From what I can see, he takes care of his stuff much better than his friends – whether he bought it or not.
I agree with Shawn…I think alot of times it’s easier to say yes and avoid the pestering. Jason…you must live around different kids than I do. I find very few are willing to do much. Sooooo many kids feel entitled these day and do NOT have a work ethic. I shake my head every time I see a parent suprise their 16 year old with a brand new Lexus. BAD IDEA! I agree BIG TIME with CHRIS in his “BAM” statement “When we provide we deprive”! Kids need to learn to want and to work!
My husband and I have certainly missed the mark at times as parents and over indulged our kids at times. But now that all 3 of ours are teens I am seeing that we at least did 2 things right (yay us! haha!) thanks to the guidance of people like Dave Ramsey: 1) We started young with our kids. We paid them a weekly allowance but they had to put 10 percent in “give”, 20 percent in “save” and the rest they could spend on whatever they wanted! 2) 2 of our 3 have reached the age of 16…car time! We told them early on that we would match whatever they saved. Both of them saved enough to get a very nice used car (both decided on black mustangs…following after their daddy! haha!)
Chris YOU ROCK! Your wisdom mixed with your “fun-factor” make you so relatable! Keep up the good work!! Go God!!
Chris,
Great stuff man! It’s never good when parents get into the habit of saying “yes” to everything their kids want. I love the quote at the end! Keep up the good work on this site and thanks for providing solid parenting content.
Austin