Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Parenting Pointers: National Pay Back Your Parents Day

November 20 is National Pay Back Your Parents Day, a chance — now that their kids are grown — to give parents what they really want (besides maybe grandkids): Cold. Hard. Cash.

Consider this: According to one study, Americans spend more than $233,000 just to raise a child from birth to 18 years of age. That's an incredible amount of moolah that parents gladly shelled out to keep their kiddos in the lifestyle to which they've grown accustomed. Isn't it time those children thought about paying their parents back?

With stagnant wages, the insane cost of decent housing, and the continually rising price of avocados, it can be tough for millennials to afford to reimburse mom and dad for decades of upbringing expenditures.

Luckily, National Today has some alternatives to tens of thousands in Venmo transactions that will show millennials' folks that they really do appreciate what their parents have done for them throughout the years and cost little to no money at all. Win-win. 
1. PICK UP THE CHECK. After embarking on what surely will be a bright future in sales, why not pick up the check the next time you're out to dinner with the 'rents. They'd undoubtedly be appreciative of the gesture, proud that their kid's doing well enough to treat them to a nice meal, and shocked when their offspring swoops in to grab that little black folder from the middle of the table.

2. A COUPON BOOK. Channel your inner third grader and make a nice coupon book for your parents. You can offer deals like "one free ride to the airport" or "6 hours of free yard work." The deals can be anything that takes any kind of burden off of them and seeing the memories of your childhood replayed once again will leave them with the warm and fuzzies.

3. TAKE YOURSELF OFF YOUR PARENTS INSURANCE. You don't have to wait until you're 26 to take yourself off of your parents' health insurance, giving them some more discretionary spending each month. Obviously, only do this if you have reliable, affordable, high-quality healthcare of your own.

4. PAY FOR A FINANCIAL PLANNER. This one is a bit specific, but statistics show that far too few Americans are financially stable or prepared for retirement. Your parents may be in this category and helping to get them some time with a financial professional could be just the thing they need to make sure they are making the right financial decisions to ensure their senior years are as fun and comfortable as they can be. (Read: spoiling the aforementioned grandkids).

5. STRIVE TO BE A KIND PERSON. Yes, we know this one may be a bit of a cop-out but wouldn't it be great to show your parents how great you've turned out but just being a kind, thoughtful person? Every parent worries about being a good one, so giving them proof that they did a great job raising you is a reward in itself. Also, maybe coupled with a nice Edible Arrangement. 

These are just a few ways that Americans can "payback" their parents this National Pay Back Your Parents Day that actually cost little or no money at all. If you'd like to learn more about this holiday check out National Today.

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