A news report caught my attention:
“Son stages his own kidnapping”
A 25-year old son, buried deeply in debt, wanted to get his 61-old father to help clean his financial mess.
He had an awesome idea.
He “kidnapped” himself and asking for a ransom of 3,000 bucks – from his aged father.
(Not sure who made the call.)
How did the father know his son staged the kidnapping?
The police traced the phone number that made the blackmail and it’s found that the owner belonged to the son’s name.
How brilliant!
Moral of the story?
Next time when you want to stage your own kidnapping, be a little smarter than this chap… on two counts:
First, don’t use your own name to register the mobile phone.
Second, ask for more money – say 3 million. After all, big or small, you are going to commit an offense anyway. Talking of leverage!
On a serious note, how could this son have the guts to stage his own kidnapping? What caused it?
I am not a certified psychologist but based on my “unprofessional” opinion, my answer lies in 4 words:
Money skills and consumerism.
If you parent your child like a Santa Claus, you are in luck of raising a child who will be like the son in the news. The chances are fairly high.
What I mean by Santa Claus?
You fulfill every damn request made by your child. Be it monetary or materials.
When he grows up and he can’t handle his finances well (income less than expenses) and can’t curb his unlimited desires of owning things, he has a potential of ruining his life.
Early money education for children is important if you want to prevent this kind of drama from unfolding.
Not sure how to do it? Check out “The Nonconformist’s Guide Parenting” on how I teach my children about money and consumerism.
Here’s where to go:
