Dad-alytics

In about two weeks, our girls are headed back to school.  There are numerous things parents can do to ease the transition into the school schedule.  Taking action now can reduce stress on the entire family when school begins.  Students in our district are required to wear uniforms, so we made sure to shop for those items early.  We felt like we received a better deal on the uniforms this year and even received a credit back to help purchase new shoes!  We are also preparing for their return by having them go to sleep earlier.  We do not want our daughters to have trouble waking up in the morning.  During the school year, they use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. This year we shopped for school supplies during Tax Free Weekend.  We stick to the list, but we let them pick out a few things that were special.  We felt like this would help them be more excited about return ing to school. Chosen Notebooks I asked family and fri...

Talking about money was not a popular topic of conversation in my family when I was growing up.  Some of the conversations I overheard regarding finances were negative.  My parents had a high school graduation dinner for me at Antonio's in Harlingen, Texas and thankfully I received some checks from family and friends.  I was 18 years old and my mother took me to First National Bank (now PlainsCapital Bank) to open my first checking account so I could cash those checks.  Like many of you, my past experiences shaped how I handle money today with my family. I have always taken my daughters with me wherever I go.  I have even taken them on some important errands to PlainsCapital Bank.  I feel like it is important for them to listen to me interact with bankers.  My daughters, like most children, are very perceptive.  There have been times when we return to the car and they ask questions or share comments that let me know they were listening! Girl...