We told my step-daughter that we want to talk with her this weekend and to make plans for someone to watch her son for a couple of hours so we won’t be distracted with his constant need for attention while we talk. We see some of the serious signs of her heading into financial trouble and we want to try to nip it in the bud.

She’s been trying to make a go of it on her own since she was 16 but didn’t pop into our lives until about 3 years ago when she showed up on our doorsteps with a suitcase and her son looking for someplace to sleep. And I don’t mind helping her, but at some point you have to cut the apron strings or kick the baby bird from the nest or whatever you have to do to get them on their own two feet.

So our talk will be about taking financial responsibility for herself and her son. I don’t think her mother ever talked with her about anything like balancing a checkbook, using a debit card and establishing credit. But in today’s world, the young people need to learn these things and be smart about their credit to build a secure future for themselves.