Emphasizing The Importance Of 'Consections Before Correction', Caca Tengker Invites Parents To Instill Children's Awareness Of Financial Management Since Early Childhood

Photo: Doc. Danamon

JAKARTA - For the mother of two daughters, Alsi Mega Marsha Tengker or familiarly called Caca Tengker, being a parent in this modern era is not easy. So many sources of information obtained by children from outside the world, and parents cannot regulate or obstruct 100 percent of the information absorbed by children.

So, what parents have to do is present a comfortable home for their children. At home that is comfortable, children can receive their parents' love and attention.

This serves as a 'armed' for children so that when they leave the house, the child already has an understanding and awareness of himself before receiving such various information. From here when the child sees the content on the internet and displays items that he does not have and wants, the child will be easier to educate by means of discussion and understanding.

Caca will explain which items are useful and a priority to buy first. Gradually, children will understand the basis of financial literacy, namely being able to distinguish between needs and desires.

Interestingly, Caca opened her session at the DXPO Talks by Danamon event at Central Park Mall on July 23, 2023, not directly discussing parenting.

"In the midst of all the busyness of mothers working, sometimes we feel guilty because the time is not enough for children. However, a mother needs time to actualize herself first, love herself first. A happy mother will be a better mother for her children," said Caca, in his statement, quoted Monday 24 July.

This 34-year-old psychologist emphasized that there is no one size fit, because it must see the needs and differences of each child. Thus, the role of parents here is to understand the uniqueness and characteristics of their own children.

For Caca, she always tries to apply awareness to herself first before she goes to her child. This is important so that parents can more easily instill awareness in their children.

"Because we can't regulate whether the child understands or doesn't. What we can manage is our communication, from parents to children. You have to connect first, then correction," he said.

From there, the child can understand what he is experiencing or feel fully. When the child wants something and does tantrums because his wishes are not fulfilled, parents should validate the child's feelings first.

By providing validation, parents can make connections to their children because parents are trying to see things from a child's point of view. However, validation does not mean agreeing with all the wishes of the child. The role of parents must still be able to provide boundaries, this is where when children feel connected, parents must be able to provide corrections to children's actions. Caca Tengker always applies a connection first and then corrects.

"Especially with social media, children are more likely to compare what they have with other people's property. Here the importance of instilling in children to learn not to compare themselves with others, be grateful for what we already have," he said.

In the talk show session which happened to coincide with National Children's Day, Caca also said that it was difficult to provide an understanding of the concept of value of money to their children, because it was something that could not be held or seen directly. So the best way according to Caca is, parents must be able to set an example for their children.

If parents really want to direct their children not to be wasteful when shopping at malls or when looking at content on the internet, parents must be able to set an example by not spending impulsively. By introducing financial habit to their children, Caca emphasized that this will affect the nature and behavior of their children when they grow up.

"I believe that by providing knowledge correctly, we can help children understand how to get something that requires money and cannot continue to follow their wishes, so children can be wiser in managing money, so they can also distinguish need vs want," said Caca Tengker.

Adding to Caca's opinion, Susi Yuliendra, Liability Banking & Services Head, PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk, said that early financial education is very important.

"Producing basic savings needs to be done early on, and parents must be able to facilitate and set an example for their children. The child's financial awareness does not happen by itself, so parents must also provide examples of saving," he said.

Furthermore, according to this woman who is often called Uchi, many banks have now provided savings products suitable for children and adolescents whose features are in accordance with their needs.

Danamon itself, for example, has a Juniorr Danamon savings for children under 12 years old, and Danamon is Youthier for adolescents aged 12-17 years. The advantage of savings like this is a light initial deposit, starting from IDR 50,000.

"In Danamon More Youth, in addition to saving, children can also be trained to manage their own finances through the D-Bank PRO application. Children can purchase credits, fill out e-wallets, and snacks using QRIS Danamon. Here children learn to have a responsibility in managing their finances," added Uchie.

Talking about managing finances to prepare for the future of children, Uchie also emphasized the importance of having special savings for educational preparation. At Danamon, there is Cita2Ku Savings which is a future savings with regular monthly deposits with competitive interest rates and flexible timeframe options. Only by saving regularly every month starting at IDR 200,000, children's education plans can be realized.

Not only that, according to Caca, basically children never ask to be born in the world.

"It is us as parents who choose to have children. So, preparing for the future of children is the obligation of parents, both mentally and financially to ensure they get the best education in the future. That is their right. If they don't think about it and are prepared from now on, the money could be used for other things with their parents," said Caca.

In fact, according to him, it is also important to involve children in financial planning for their education if they are old enough.

"We can explain what the needs are if they want to go to school where they want. Make sure parents involve their children so that they have a role and have a sense of responsibility for their choice. For example, if I provide several school options, later the child himself will choose one of these schools," he concluded.