By Jenny Runkel

This week, Hal and I rented Stranger Than Fiction. I have to say that it was one of the best films I have seen in a very long time. It is a sweet and infinitely fascinating story about perspective and self-fulfilling prophecies. In the movie, Will Ferrell plays Harold Crick, an unassuming and unexciting accountant for the IRS who counts his steps and his toothbrush strokes. He eats alone and has few friends. He is utterly miserable and worse, he doesn't even realize his lot in life until one day when he hears a voice inside his head narrating every aspect of it. I won't spoil the movie for you, but suffice it to say, his life takes a dramatic turn as he gets to hear what he thinks and see how he acts from someone else's point of view.

So, what in the world does this have to do with parenting. Nothing. And Everything. Stay with me a bit and allow me to explain.

In one particular scene, Harold is filing tax returns, a daily routine for him that he never thinks twice about. Suddenly, he hears the voice. In the cool tone of detachment and with the lovely British accent of Emma Thompson, it says something like,

Step foot on any college campus in the nation and chances are, you'll be offered a "free" credit card within seconds. In an age where the average American credit card balance is over $9000 and growing, many parents are frightened for the financial future spending habits of their children - and rightfully so. Hal often fields questions from many of you who want to know how to best navigate the money maze with your children. Read on to see how you can remain ScreamFree even in the midst of monetary matters.

Dear Hal,
Everything my kids see and hear seems to point them towards wanting more stuff and my parents are making things even worse by spoiling my kids rotten! How do we teach our children the value of the dollar when we live in a time of excess?

How does our country teach the world the value of the dollar when they see us spending so excessively and exercising such little self-discipline in our trade habits? Okay, forgive me for the political rant. But I really do see the two questions as similar. So often we as parents or leaders are trying to influence people to adopt lessons we ourselves have yet to learn.

And that is certainly true in regards to money. You are absolutely right-most everything in our culture is screaming out that excess is best. Even grandparents. Do you remember ever getting Halloween cards with embedded ten-dollar bills from grandma? I certainly don't. But my kids have come to expect it every year. It can be so hard to try to teach your kids self-discipline and simplicity when no one, even family members, seems to want to support you. In truth, everything and everyone can seem more likely to subvert you in these efforts. So, what should you do?

Want to read all of Hal's past "Ask Hal" replies? Check out the Ask Hal Archives Page for the ScreamFree approach to your common parenting and relationship issues.

Do you have a Parenting question for Hal, the author and creator of ScreamFree Parenting? Email Us Directly at AskHal@ScreamFree.com. We will answer a limited number of questions in upcoming newsletters.

Unfortunately, we cannot respond to all questions. If you want further feedback on your individual situation, we encourage you to explore Relationship Coaching with Hal. You can get a f!ree 20 minute evaluation of your situation to determine if coaching is right for you by contacting us here.

You can also share your questions or parenting issues in the ScreamFree Parenting Forum. Here you can interact with other parents on the ScreamFree Journey and share your questions and successes. Visit the ScreamFree Parenting Forum today and discuss parenting issues with parents all over the country.