I don't remember when I first started getting an allowance, or how much I received. But I do remember my first "checkbook." My mom went to great lengths to print it up for me -- she photocopied one of her starter checks, wrote my name in, and hand-numbered a book of checks for me. I was in junior high school when she brought it to me. She explained that I would no longer receive my allowance in cash. Instead, she would make a weekly deposit into my "checking account," which I would be obliged to keep track of. I could write a check for cash at the Bank of Mom, or I could save up the weekly deposits for larger purchases. Stores would not accept my checks, of course, but Mom would, and at the grocery store she would add my special treats to her basket if I wrote a check out to her at the time.

My first "checking account" got me interested in understanding how grown-ups dealt with money. Because of my little "account," I learned how personal finance works. I quickly grasped the importance of financial record-keeping -- if I wanted a $10 record album but couldn't prove that I had at least $10 in my account, I didn't get the album. And I learned how to write a check -- an all-important skill now that I write checks every month to the phone company, power company, landlord, etc.

Before too long, I acquired a deeper understanding of banking. I remember one evening seeing my dad in the family room with stacks of checks and receipts on the couch next to him. "What're you doing, Dad?" I asked. "Balancing the checkbook," he replied. Balancing? There was more to do with a checking account? I could play with the numbers in the register even when I wasn't buying something? That could be fun!

Okay, maybe fun is a little extreme, but when I was 13, the thought of pitting myself against the bank and finding out that I'd done the calculations correctly all month long was fairly exciting. So I sat with Dad while he explained the steps involved.

These days, it doesn't take long for me to make sure that my records match the bank's. The few minutes of work are well worth the relief of knowing just what resources are available to me. When I get all my bills paid on time with spending cash left over, when the bank statement total matches the one in my own records -- I am grateful to my parents for providing me with an engaging and lasting education in how money works.

My parents' system may not work for everyone. Even as a pre-teen, it was obvious that I was the sort of person who liked to organize and keep an eye on things. But if your children see that you keep track of your finances without complaining about the procedure, and you devise a way for them to learn the process without dreading it, they will be excited by their money and grow up informed and empowered. And they may remember to thank you for it.

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