Everyone remembers the ‘rich kids’ growing up. Even rich kids remember the other richer kids. We envied their ski trips, their huge houses, their other equally big vacation houses, their electronics, their clothes.

And yet, how many of those kids, when we look at them now as adults, appear to have actually been quite poor?

At home they faced a poverty of attention. A deficit of happiness or stability. Maybe their parents fought all the time. Maybe they worked constantly. Maybe they played favorites and none were their kids.

As adults, we now realize that to be rich is not necessarily to be wealthy, especially as “wealth” comes in many forms. This is really good news. All of us have the ability to give our kids a rich life. We can measure wealth in the time and attention they get with us. By whether or not they feel safe and secure, whether their house feels like a home. Even if you only make $30,000 a year.

You can make your kid the richest kid in the whole school without spending a dollar.