Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime” – Origin unclear
Fishing and money, of course they go together, right?! Okay, well, if it’s not obvious to you, read on.
Teach a boy to fish
If you ever wonder if what you are teaching your children is sinking in or making any difference in their lives, you’re certainly not alone. I can’t count the number of times I’ve felt like I’m talking to myself when trying to pass on my great wisdom to my kids. Over the past 16 years I’ve often wondered if teaching and exposing my kids to different things has benefited them.
Then they show me that it’s working. It’s not always when I want to see it, or when I expect to see it. But it happens. And that’s when I realize they were listening, they were learning, and they did benefit from exposure to different experiences, people and places.
Our kids grew up outdoors. We’ve camped since our first born was 1 year old (sadly that came to an end this year, but we still enjoy nature at every opportunity). When we camped, we also swam, hiked, biked, paddled, cooked, explored, and played games.
We also fished. We fished a lot.
Jake is now 16 (almost 17!) and he’s been fishing. He’s been fishing constantly. After watching him for a few weeks, I’ve realized there are some great virtues to be gained from fishing.
Preparation. He and his friend went and bought their own fishing licenses and a few lures before their first fishing expedition.
Patience. There was one two week streak when he and his friends went fishing every single day, sometimes for 6+ hours (and sometimes not catching anything at all).
Perseverance. Even though he doesn’t catch fish every time, he keeps going back and trying.
Independence. Sometimes he goes with his friends, but sometimes he spends hours fishing on his own.
Cooperation/Community. Usually somebody catches something, they pool their fish and each person take turns taking the fish home. (Sometimes they choose to catch and release too.)
Learning new skills. Jake already knew the basics of fishing, but he’s learned how to clean and cook the fish he catches. He makes a delicious baked bass!
Self sufficiency. If he’s ever in a survival situation, this skill will serve him well.
Appreciation. For nature. Jake knows one little lake like the back of his hand. He knows where the bluegill nests are, where the snapping turtle likes to hide and where the fish are at different times of the day.
Communication. There’s no need to text or snapchat when your friends are fishing a few feet away. This is real life conversation – no electronics needed.
Fun doesn’t have to cost money. Honestly, I think this is one of the main reasons he started fishing this year. After the initial costs for gear (which doesn’t have to cost much at all), fishing is the perfect example of frugal fun.
Fundamentals of managing your money (and fishing)
How can fishing can teach you what you need to be successful with your money? Same principles, different application.
Preparation. Planning ahead saves time and money. How many times have you went to the store without a list and come home with items you didn’t really need? And did you forget the ones you really did need? A little upfront work always pays off.
Patience. Reaching financial goals can seem painfully slow. But the longer you stick it out, even if it’s just 5 more minutes or 5 more dollars saved, in the end you will land the big one.
Perseverance. Sometimes we don’t reach our goals or things don’t go as planned. Instead of giving up, try something different. And keep trying something different until you figure out what works for you. (Maybe you need to try a different lure?)
Independence. Sometimes we need other people’s help, but it’s always good to have the ability to rely on yourself when those people aren’t available. (Take borrowing money. The less money you borrow – from banks or friends/family – the more independent and free you become.)
Cooperation/Community. Sharing resources can save everyone time and money. Help your neighbors and let them help you. Share tools, babysitting, garden harvest, labor, or skills.
Learning new skills. Learn to track your expenses, budget, save, invest, and earn more. Learning these skills will literally pay off over and over again. (And, don’t forget, DIY skills can save a ton of money. Even if you don’t plan on using the skills repeatedly, I think it’s always worth it to learn and practice new skills at least once. You never know when you’ll need them.)
Self sufficiency. It’s wise to have access to enough of your own money to cover emergencies. If you have to borrow each time you have an emergency, not only do you dig yourself deeper in debt, but you are always relying on others.
Appreciation. Appreciation for what we have is one of the keys to lasting happiness. When you practice gratitude for all you have, you’re less likely to feel the need to spend money.
Communication. Like it or not, money is a part of our relationships. And it’s extremely important to communicate about it, particularly if you are in a relationship where you’re sharing expenses.
Fun doesn’t have to cost money. It’s true. Once you find all the no-cost, low-cost entertainment that’s available, you’ll find some that you love. And save yourself a heap of money.
Good parallels there. I think the one area I need to work on is patience. It feels like such a long haul to FI, but there is no real quick way to get there!
I’m with you there, Tonya! Patience isn’t my strong suit…it’s a work in progress.
I see the correlation. Our oldest son fishes too. It certainly teaches patience and responsibility. Great skills to have no matter what topic you are tackling.
Agreed – those are skills that come in useful for life! 🙂 It’s great your son likes to fish too!
I see the strong connection between these two things and think your story on Jake is so cool! Now if I could just figure out this patience thing…
Thanks so much, Amy! 🙂 I understand about the patience…
I really like the connections you’ve drawn. The skills we teach our kids in one pursuit can definitely transfer to other areas of life. Sometimes I’m surprised at what my kids have picked up, and other days I’m shocked at what they didn’t learn. Anyway, I’ve been thinking of taking up fishing myself and your post makes me want to do it even more. 🙂
Thanks so much, Gary! You should take up fishing! It’s a great, frugal and fun pastime! 🙂 You never know when/if the kids are paying attention, or how/if they will use the lessons and experiences in their own lives. I just keep on keeping on, hoping they pick up useful life lessons along the way.
I think we can compare finances to anything that sparks a correlation, and fishing really does! I might be the only girl in our family to enjoy the occasional fishing trip, so I can clearly see a connection.
If I may add, releasing a fish back in the lake also teaches us we don’t need to get greedy. Earning money is great, but giving something back can be rewarding as well.
Ooooh, good one with the catch and release, Adriana! I’m happy the boys only keep what they will eat. No need to take more than you need – definitely a great money lesson! 🙂
I love the perseverance and appreciation, and angle. I think modern life sometimes tells us that if we don’t reach our stated goal (catching fish or a well-funded retirement) then the journey is wasted. But that’s not the case. There are a ton of other benefits from spending time on fishing or better finances than just achieving the end goal.
Thanks, Emily! Yes – sometimes it’s all about the journey, right!? So much is gained along the way. 🙂
Another great analogy for personal finances. Patience has been the big obstacle for me – and it works into so many of the others (perseverance, preparation, communication, learning …) What a wonderful thing for a mother to see in her son! (And I love fresh fish. Yum!)
Thanks, Ruth! Patience is my biggest obstacle as well. And, yes, those qualities are great to see in your child! The fresh bass he cooked was waaaay better than I imagined. He soaked the fillets in salt water for a while before cooking and I think that made it so good.
Great way to cross the bridge! Love the parallels!
Thank so much, Steven! 🙂
It turns out there’s a lot more to fishing than I remembered! But maybe that’s true of anything we do that takes a bit of effort and we forget the benefits as we absorb them.
Our kiddo is only 2 but we’re working hard on encouraging patience and perseverance, especially when it comes to things we already know ze can do, like opening packages. Ze has a positive gift for tearing into my mail but when ze lacks the motivation, a measly envelope seems to defy zir weak little fingers. Sounds familiar to us adults, doesn’t it?
It’s so reassuring to hear from parents way ahead of us in the timeline that they really are hearing us.
Jake’s daily fishing excursions really made me sit up and take notice of those benefits – probably more than if I had been doing the fishing myself.
I love that you are working on those qualities with your toddler now. Now that my kids are older, it’s easier to see the results of the earlier years. It also makes me wonder about the nature/nurture spectrum (I have no answers…I just ponder it). Because for two kids raised in the same household, mine are such totally different individuals.
Thanks for the comment, Revanche! 🙂
I did a little bit of fishing as a kid but didn’t have the patience or aptitude. I had the hardest time removing the hook on the rare times I caught something. I should probably give it another try now as an adult. I have more patience, but I’m not sure about the aptitude 🙂
And you’ve drawn nice parallels between fishing and finance.
I have trouble removing the hook too – because I’m afraid of hurting the fish. I like to fish for bass simply because taking the hook out is usually easier. I agree, you could try it as an adult – maybe you’ll have a different experience!? 🙂 Thanks, Mr. Need2Save!
Great post Amanda! Such a valuable pastime for your son. I wish I’d fished more as a child, but I hung up my rod after ‘the incident’. Haha, long story, let’s just say it involves falling into a near frozen lake in the winter, and having to wear my friends grandmother’s pink nightgown, lol. Seriously though, you’ve made a great parallel between fishing and personal finance, the skill sets are definitely transferrable!
Thanks, MMM! I agree, it’s a very valuable pastime for a teenager. Your ‘incident’ sounds interesting but a little scary at the same time!? Sounds like good blog material to me! 🙂
I love the lessons learned and the parallels between the two. Patience is definitely a skill that is tough for a teen to acquire. It’s tough even for us older folks but being patient seems like a quality that is rare in the younger generation though it’s so important. In a generation where you can get any information at a touch of a finger, watch anything you want without waiting, etc, it is hard to learn patience.
Thanks, Andrew! Patience is hard at any age, no doubt about that. I think that’s why I love that he’s fishing – he’s growing up in a time of instant gratification and, as you say, you can get most anything “at a touch of a finger”. I love the time away from electronics and the one-on-one socializing (rather than online or texting) when he’s fishing.
Great stuff here, Amanda! We are big fishers here too. It teaches the kids so much about life, simple activity that it is. And the potential for a delicious fish fry at the end of the excursion doesn’t hurt. 🙂
Thanks, Laurie! The benefits of learning to fish as a kid are far reaching. And a fish fry would make it so worth it! 🙂
What an interesting post that links an outdoor activity with personal finances. Love these ideas. My kids like fishing but I did not realize that this activity can be helpful for teaching them how to manage money.
Thanks, Lorna! 🙂 There are so many applications for the lessons learned from fishing.