Rich vs. Wealthy - What Kids Really Need to Know

It was a regular weeknight at the dinner table, nothing special just chicken and rice and tired chatter, when my five-year-old daughter looked up and asked, “Mom, are we rich?”

She wasn’t trying to be cute or clever. She wasn’t comparing us to anyone. She was just trying to make sense of the world. But her innocent question carried a weight I wasn’t expecting. I paused, caught between explaining what was true on paper and what I hoped she would carry in her heart.

I glanced at my husband.  Then I gently asked, “Well, what do you think it means to be rich?” 

She answered without missing a beat: “It means you can do anything you want, whenever you want.”

Before I could respond, my older daughter chimed in: “That’s not rich. That’s wealthy. And we’re both.”

The table went quiet, not because the conversation was over, but because I realized it had only just begun.

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