The Self-Made Man

Child of a Self-Made Man

by Linda Sand

Sam is a self-made man.  His father died when he was a child.  Sam delivered newspapers and gave the money to his mother.  He mowed lawns and raked leaves and gave the money to his mother.  He collected old pop bottles and redeemed them and gave the money to his mother.  His mother took the money Sam earned then gave ten percent of it back to Sam.  She took Sam to the bank, where she helped him open a savings account to hold his ten percent.  Every week she also gave ten percent of Sam’s earnings to the church, explaining to Sam that there were people who needed that money more than they did.

One day Sam heard that Tom, who did the deliveries for the local drug store, was going away to college.  Sam went to the drug store and asked Mr. Bailey for Tom’s job.  Mr. Bailey said he would like to hire Sam but the delivery boy needed a bike and Sam did not have a bike.  Sam asked Mr. Bailey to hold the job for him for one day.  Then Sam went to Tom and asked if Tom was planning to take his bike to college.  When Tom said, “No,” Sam asked if he could buy the bike.  So, Tom set a price, Sam withdrew the money from his savings account, and Sam became the proud owner of a good, used bike.  Sam also got the job delivering for the drug store.

When it came time for Sam, himself, to go to college, he withdrew money from his savings account to pay tuition then sold his bike to the new delivery boy.

When Sam and Susie decided to get married, Sam withdrew enough money from his savings account to make the down payment on the house Susie liked.

Yes, Sam was a self-made man.  He had learned the value of working for his money.  He had learned he could trust himself.  He had learned that saving for something he wanted was worth doing.  He had learned that sharing what he had with others made him feel good.

So when Steve was born, Sam was glad to share everything he had with his son.  When Steve wanted a bike, Sam bought one for him.  When Steve wanted to get an after school job to save for college, Sam assured him there was already plenty of money in his college fund and encouraged him to join a sports team instead.  When Steve and Nancy decided to marry, Sam bought them a house for a wedding present.

But, Steve was not doing so well.  He could not seem to keep a job.  He made promises but failed to keep them.  He always seemed to be over his budget and needing a short-term loan.  He took out a mortgage on the house then had trouble making the payments.

You see Sam gave everything he had to Steve.  Except the knowledge of the value of working for his money.  And the knowledge that Steve could trust himself.  And the knowledge that saving for something he wanted was worth doing.  And that sharing what you have with others feels good.

It is hard to be the child of a self-made man.