You work hard for your family. You know how you sweated for each dollar, which can make it hard to spend. Especially if you have an eye toward investing—every dollar expended now comes at the cost of returns in the future.
That’s one way to think about it, but it’s not the only way.
Marcus Aurelius writes that what he learned from his great-grandfather was to “avoid public schools, to hire good private teachers, and to accept the resulting costs as money well spent.”
Obviously schooling in Rome was very different than it is here in the modern world, so let’s ignore any political implications of his statement, What Marcus Aurelius is talking about is investing in your children’s education—whatever form you decide it will take.
A tutor to teach them Spanish a couple times a month? A piano instructor? A yearly pass to the museum downtown? The gas and the commute to the school on the other side of town instead of the closer, but less rigorous one? Private tuition? One parent working less so you can home school?
None of this cheap. But don’t think of it as an expense. Think of it as an investment. It’s the most important investment you can make—it’s an investment in their knowledge, in their education. It’s making them better.
It’s worth what it costs.
P.S. This was originally sent on December 9, 2020. Sign up today for the Daily Dad’s email and get our popular 11 page eBook, “20 Things Great Dads Do Everyday.”
