16 year old asked me how much the business makes. How much do you tell a teenager?

cinnamon_marigold_652131 Aug 2026

I run a distribution business that my daughter has grown up around. At dinner yesterday she asked, quite directly, how much it makes in a year, and whether we are 'well off or just okay'. I gave a vague answer and could see she noticed. My partner thinks she is old enough for a rough picture. I was brought up never to discuss money with children, and I am not sure what a 16 year old does with that kind of number. What have other parents shared at this age, and did it change anything?

2 comments

coral_drum_445231 Aug 2026
Before deciding how much to share, I would find out why she asked. Curiosity, worry about college costs, or something a friend said each needs a different answer. My daughter is younger, so this is not from experience at sixteen, but when she asked a smaller version of this question, it turned out to be about a classmate's holiday.
sage_paper_221931 Aug 2026
We gave ours the rough household budget at 16: what the house, school and her activities cost in a year, not what either of us earns. She became noticeably more careful about asking for things. Part of me thinks that's good and part of me misses the version of her who didn't know. I still think it was right, but it isn't free.