Dear Lovely Daughter,
I want to talk to you about something important.
Money. But not in a scary way.
I introduced you to budgeting not because I have everything figured out—but because I’m still learning too.
Some of the lessons I’m sharing with you come from my finance coach. I admire Dave Ramsey deeply. I’ve picked up simple, practical truths from him—things I wish I had learned much earlier in life. I’m passing them on to you because I want better for you.
For a long time, I thought a budget meant saying no to everything fun.
I thought it meant restriction.
I was wrong.
A budget is simply a plan.
It’s deciding before the month starts what matters most to you.
One important lesson that I learned is this: You must tell your money what to do. Otherwise, you will wonder where it went.
There is no neutral with money.
I want you to start early because I didn’t.
I learned through mistakes, stress, and anxiety I wish I could undo.
You don’t need to struggle first to become wise.
You can learn early—and move smarter.
When you sit down and write things out—your income, your expenses, your goals—something beautiful happens.
The fog clears.
The anxiety drops.
You feel calmer.
Not because you suddenly have more money,
but because you can finally see where it’s going.
Clarity brings calm.
Calm brings control.
Your first budget was not be perfect.
Mine was worse . So you beat me hands down.
And that’s normal.
A budget is not a test you pass or fail.
It’s a draft.
It gets better every month you use it.
Adjusting doesn’t mean you failed.
It means life happened—and you responded wisely.
That’s not weakness.
That’s growth.
There is also no “right” speed in life.
Once you understand your numbers, you get to choose the pace.
You can save more.
You can spend less.
Or you can do both for a season.
Your budget gives you the power to decide.
I’m not teaching you budgeting to control you.
I’m teaching you so money never controls you.
I want you to grow up confident, not confused.
Intentional, not anxious.
Free, not fearful.
And I want you to know this—I’m walking this journey with you.
Learning. Adjusting. Growing.
I’m sharing what I’m learning. This includes lessons from people wiser than me. I want you to start where I didn’t get the chance to.
I just want you to do better than I did.
And to start earlier than I did.
With love,
Mom 💙
Wordflow Studio Closing
At Wordflow Studio, we believe clarity changes lives.
Sometimes healing looks like boundaries.
Sometimes growth looks like budgeting.
And sometimes love looks like teaching your child what you had to learn the hard way.
This letter is part of my journey—learning, unlearning, and choosing intention over anxiety.
If this spoke to you, share it with someone you love, especially a teen
Let’s raise a generation that is confident with money, calm with choices, and free with intention.
Written by Elizabeth Mwende Johnstone
Founder, Wordflow Studio
✍🏽 Healing Through Words
Dear Teen : A Letter About Budget, Money, and Starting Early
Wordflow Caring Hearts LLC 