Is it wrong for someone to tell their child, about 4, that they don’t have enough money to buy a toy or a candy when they’re at a store?

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I think there's a way to talk about money with kids (even young kids!) without making it scary or inappropriate for them, you just have to be careful of the language you use and how you go about it. Starting to differentiate between a "need" and a "want" is a good foundation. Also, playing a very simplistic game of store where the child has, say, 3 coins and therefore can use them to choose 3 items from the "store" (you need to have more than 3 items there so they start understanding the concept of exchange). Building financial literacy at home will eventually help tackle difficult conversations in the future.

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I think money is too big of a concept for a 4 year old to grasp, it could cause a lot of anxiety for them to worry that mommy may not have enough money for other things like groceries. I don’t think finance stress of the parents should ever be a worry of the child’s.

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Depends on how it’s said tbh. If its along the lines of ‘this money is for food today so we shouldn’t spend it on toys’ then sure. 
If it’s going to cause stress for the child because they don’t understand then not worth it. I grew up panicking about money because we were poor and always being threatened with eviction and it was awful. 
But then teaching a child about necessities can be a good thing 🤷🏼‍♀️

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I think if it’s in the form of a planned lesson, like “today you have $3 to spend” and the child needs to make choices and understand that every day is not a free-for-all, then yes it can start setting the stage for a good understanding of money. If you’re looking sadly at the child and saying “no sweetie we can’t afford that” then no, that’s not for a four year old to worry about or understand. They will go to school thinking they don’t have things other people do because of their family and nothing else.

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No we do this. We'll say something like, I don't have money for candy because this money is for bananas and eggs. We don't just say we don't have money to buy you stuff. It's more like, I don't have Wendy's money I only have Publix money so he understands were getting groceries not treats.

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As long as you’re teaching the differences between needs and wants, it’s fine. Children should grow up feeling secure in necessities regardless of what kind of stress the parent(s) may be dealing with, but kids need to understand that not all wants may be met. Wants should be reserved for special occasions or as treats. My parents always taught us that. When my father brought home candy, it was always so special because he was bringing it home as a treat just for us.

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yes. i was told this all my life from a very young age qhen i was growing up and it fucked me up. now even when i have money i feel extremely guilty when i spend any on myself. i will never ever tell my son any of my financial problems bc its awful. children shouldnt hear about these things.

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I think kids should hear parents talk about the budget & show good money management skills. I’d probably word it, “it’s not in the budget “ not that we can’t afford it, but that’s splitting hairs a bit. Maybe “that’s not in the budget right now, but I’ll be sure to remember for your birthday”

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My 4 year old understands how much things cost and will look at the price of things and knows if we are low on money due to other bills and knows what we need to pay for in order to live. My 4 year old understands the concept of money and gets what a dollar is worth and it's good to be honest with your child about if you have the money or not for something and explain what things all need to be paid before getting the fun extras.

Is it wrong for someone to tell their child, about 4, that they don’t have enough money to buy a toy or a candy when they’re at a store?

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