Budgeting with older kids, as part of teaching about general responsibility, is probably a great idea. I'm also bewildered why anyone would hide their finances

Budgeting with older kids, as part of teaching about general responsibility, is probably a great idea. I'm also bewildered why anyone would hide their finances from their kids. Neat idea to dump it out in cash and divide it out, as an easier way to visualize. But, some kids worry. Having to tell them we have to be careful with money, that we can't do something because of money... eh, that introduces an unnecessary thing for them to be concerned about when they're only 6, or 8 or so. They're already terrified about death, plus all the other "stresses" of whatever kids deal with (getting to the bathroom on time, not being made fun of, studying, etc.). So my line to my kids is: I earn enough, and I always will find a way. You should never worry about this. Don't let money be the deciding factor in decisions. Even at one point when I was a kid and we were on food stamps, my father always tried to make it clear that money would not be a concern. Dealing with teen stuff, no matter how insignificant it now appears, plus worrying about my parents budgeting? What's for? As far as "Why can't I get <newitem>?" -- I don't buy them every toy they want, but that's due to clutter and accumulating shit. I let them get any new toy they want, if they trade in several old toys (so that they'd approach only having a few, plus presents that don't require trade in). That's a separate discussion though.