I watched along with the rest of the world as the new Prince of Cambridge made his first public appearance. I was then amazed at the normalcy displayed by the simple act of his father Prince William driving his family home. This made me ponder the young child’s upbringing.

The fact that he is royalty will most certainly have an impact however I can also see William and Kate insisting on some normalcy. My guess (no I’m not an avid royal watcher) is that they will raise him with morals, values and teach him the value of hard work. The young prince might even have chores, gasp. Yes, I bet he will be made to pick up his own toys. I can also see him being taught the value of money and that it is not something to be wasted, but spent wisely, after you have earned it. All of this being said it made me think about a large number of things.

First I must admit I try very hard to keep politics out of my blog, that being said I felt the need to say something.

If his parents can teach this young Prince how to live within his means, and that he must work to make money why can’t everyone learn this lesson.

1. Our politicians here in the USA have not been doing their job. (No budget)

2. Our country is in debt and that debt is growing.

3. A large number of people in our society expect things to be given to them, just because they want them.

4. Hard work can change anything.

5. Prince William works, despite his royal status. Prince Harry deployed with his military unit to Afghanistan.

These royals have not tried to sit around and do nothing despite their vaulted titles. They have given of their time to serve not only the people of Great Britain but the people of the world.

My challenge to everyone is the try and instill these values in yourself and your children. Don’t let them grow up thinking they can have anything they want, without working for it. Teach them the value of money, and that it has to be earned and will not just be handed to you.

My second challenge is that everyone give back. It need not be a monetary gift, in fact I think your time is more valuable. Author Brad Thor said that you can always make money to buy another book, but you can’t make more time. (paraphrased since I didn’t write it down, Brad if you read this feel free to correct me.)

If you follow my blog, you know by now I volunteer with a number of organizations. I give one afternoon a week to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, the only cost the me is time. When is the last time you gave of your time to help others?

No I’m not saying all parents fail to teach these lessons, but I have seen a large epidemic of it. (Just read the news, or better yet visit an inner city.)

An apology to my regulars who follow me for updates and flash fiction, but this was something I could not keep bottled up any longer. I promise there will be some flash fiction later this week.

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