Emphasizing the Importance of "Connection Before Correction", Caca Tengker Invites Parents to Instill Awareness in Children to Manage Finances from an Early Age

Press Release / 23 July 2023

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Jakarta, 23 July 2023 — For a mother of two daughters, Alsi Mega Marsha Tengker or familiarly called Caca Tengker, being a parent in this modern era is not easy. There are so many sources of information that children get from the outside world, and parents cannot control or block 100% of the information that children absorb.

So, what parents must do is to present a comfortable home for their children. In a comfortable home, children can receive the love and attention of their parents. This serves as a "provision" for the child so that when they leave the house, the child already has an understanding and awareness of himself before receiving various kinds of information. From here, when children see content on the internet and display items they don't have and want, it will be easier for children to be educated by way of discussion and understanding. Caca will explain which items are useful and are a priority to buy first. Gradually, children will understand the basis of financial literacy, namely being able to distinguish between needs and wants.

Interestingly, Caca opened his session at the DXPO Talks by Danamon event at Central Park Mall on 23 July 2023 without directly discussing parenting. “In the midst of all the busy working mothers, sometimes we feel guilty because we don't have enough time for our children. But a mother needs time to actualize herself first, to love herself first. Happy mothers will be better able to be good mothers for their children," emphasized Caca.

This 34-year-old psychologist emphasizes that there is no one size fits all in parenting, because you must look at 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 her child. This is important so that parents can more easily instill awareness in their children.

"Because we can't control whether the child will understand what we're saying or not. What we can manage is our communication, from parent to child. You must connect first, then make a correction," she said.

From there, the child can fully understand what they are experiencing or feeling. When a child wants something and has a tantrum because his wish is not fulfilled, parents should first validate the child's feelings. By providing validation, parents can make connections with their children because parents try to see things from the child's point of view. But indeed, providing validation does not mean agreeing to all the wishes of the child. The role of parents still must be able to provide boundaries, this is where when the child feels connected, parents must be able to provide corrections for the child's actions. Caca Tengker always makes connections first and then makes corrections.

“Especially with social media, children are more likely to compare what they have with other people. Here it is important to instill in children to learn not to compare themselves with others, to be grateful for what we already have," she said.

In the talkshow session which happened to coincide with National Children's Day, Caca also said that it is difficult to give an understanding of the concept of value of money to his children, because it is something that cannot be held or seen directly. So, the best way, according to Caca, is for parents to be able to set an example for their children. If indeed parents want to direct their children not to be wasteful when shopping at the mall or when they are "hungry for their eyes" seeing content on the internet, parents must be able to set an example by not shopping impulsively. By introducing financial habits to his children, Caca emphasized that this would affect the character and behavior of his children when they grow up.

"I believe by imparting knowledge properly, we can help children understand how to get something, they need money and can't always follow what they want, so children can be wiser in managing money, they can also differentiate need vs want. said Caca Tengker.

Adding to Caca's opinion, Susi Yuliendra, Liabilities Banking & Services Head, PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk, said that financial education from an early age is very important. "Teaching the basics of saving needs to be done from an early age, and parents must be able to facilitate and set an example for their children. A child's financial awareness does not happen by itself, so parents must also set an example of saving," he said.

"Di Danamon LEBIH Youth, selain menabung, anak juga dapat dilatih mengelola keuangan sendiri melalui aplikasi D-Bank PRO. Anak dapat melakukan pembelian pulsa, pengisian e-wallet, dan jajan menggunakan QRIS Danamon. Di sini anak belajar punya tanggung jawab dalam mengatur keuangannya," imbuh Uchie.

Furthermore, according to the woman who is often called Uchi, many banks now provide savings products that are suitable for children and adolescents whose features suit their needs. Danamon itself, for example, has a Danamon LEBIH Junior savings account for children under 12 years old, and Danamon LEBIH Youth for youth aged 12-17 years. The advantage of saving like this is that the initial deposit is light, starting from IDR 50,000.

"At Danamon LEBIH Youth, apart from saving, children can also be trained to manage their own finances through the D-Bank PRO application. Children can purchase credit, top up e-wallets, and snacks using QRIS Danamon. Here children learn to have responsibility in managing their finances. ," Uchie added.

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

Not only that, according to Caca, “Basically, children never ask to be born into the world. We as parents 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. It is their right. If you don't think about it and prepare for it now, the money could be used for other things by your parents," said Caca.

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

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

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