You sweated for it. You worked for it. You saved it. You invested it. You may need it someday.

But if your money could talk, do you know what it would say? It would say spend me on your kids. It would say to do it now, not later, too.

Now, to be sure, this is not the same thing as “rack up credit card debt” or “spoil them rotten” but it is saying that right now your kids are young, right now is for certain—so don’t put things off, don’t take things for granted. If you were ever going to move to the neighborhood with better schools, going to do that trip to Europe as a family, if you were ever going to get them that new bike, if you were ever going to help them with their bills—now is the time.

Not when you’re older. Not when things settle down. Not someday. Now.

We talked about this when we recommended the book Die With Zero (which has some great parenting lessons and you can grab at The Painted Porch), where the author talks about the shockingly late age at which people inherit money from their parents or grandparents (spoiler: it’s often when they are finally financially secure, long past the time they really needed the help most).

So if you’re in a position to spend, to support, to give—well, now is the time. Not later. Now.