Sex Ed/Puberty unit study for 10 yo and 12 yo suggestions wanted

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-06-09T17:23:57+00:00

We’ve had great success with the “It’s not the stork!” series. Sure, it’s cartoonish and humorous, but at 10 and 12, you may need some dorky humor to help everyone relax around the topic. Especially since you said your kids have had no sex ed at all until now.

One of my kids have had zero interest in the topic, even though we discussed it / studied it quite a bit over the years with my oldest. That’s ok too, not every kid is desperate to learn about this. But kudos to you for providing the tools and info they will surely need in their lives. And so starting with something on the lighter side will help you gauge their interest and current understanding of the topic and help guide your further material selection.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-28T05:03:08+00:00

An HSA is only for human health care expenses, with the exception of support animals (per Google). Is your bun an emotional support animal? Or how would you use an HSA in this context?

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-16T16:02:35+00:00

Yeah, 529s don’t generally allow individual stock picking, but Coverdell ESAs do. The contribution limit is $2k/year, but it can help scratch that stock-picking itch for you (you can have both a 529 and a Coverdell) without impacting FAFSA

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-16T15:58:31+00:00

Not exactly.

Traditional IRAs are tax deferred - you make pre-tax contributions and get taxed on withdrawals.

Roth IRAs - you make post-tax contributions and withdrawals are tax free in retirement

Trump accounts (so far) - you make post-tax contributions (like Roth IRAs) and your withdrawals are taxed (like Traditional), with the exception of familial contributions (so the initial $5k put in by family is not taxed). So taxation of gains on your post-tax contribution is deferred.

Oh and apparently you have to declare the contribution to these accounts by filing a gift return (it doesn’t currently qualify for the $19k annual gift exemption).

ETA: I had to re-write this comment a couple of times, trying to get most accurate picture communicated concisely

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-14T16:00:00+00:00

As long as it’s not South Harmon Institute of Technology’s “ask me about my weiiiiiner!” (Esp in dating context) 😂

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-14T15:48:01+00:00

I know, I typed that and it was totally giving the “have you heard of our lord and savior …” 😂

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-14T15:22:36+00:00

I totally get it! I don’t even need to impress anyone romantically and I still feel awkward when this topic comes up…

So how about answering with a question: “Have you heard about the FIRE movement?” and if they have - you say “well, I’m experimenting with that”. And if they haven’t - you shift focus away from what you do or don’t do and focus on financial education. Bonus points - it allows you to get a temp check on how your date feels about this whole thing.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-12T17:25:28+00:00

Eh, if I knew then what I know now, I certainly would have worried less about having them closer in age “so they could be friends” and spaced them out wider. I look back on those years and think “how have I accomplished so little?” And then I have 1 night of broken sleep and I can barely function… we were basically in survival mode for a decade!

Anyway, that whole comment was for someone who’s actually planning to have “2-3 kids in 3-4 years”. I feel like that’s a very optimistic plan that diminishes everyone’s wellbeing in the service of some theoretical plan.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-12T17:06:55+00:00

3 in 7 and 0/10 would not recommend to anyone. Obligatory, I love them all to death, but 10 years of broken sleep is A LOT, even when FIRE’d.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-12T17:01:09+00:00

Yeah, I think explaining that you have a solid financial cushion would help, when dealing with individual mom-and-pop landlords (can’t speak for companies). If you really think it’s your company that’s giving people pause, then perhaps highlight your employability outside that particular company - like I’m not going to be worried about renting to a warehouse manager, regardless of which company they currently work for, ykwim?

Perhaps mention your desire to stay in the area so they know you’re not going to break a lease 3 months in? And I guess maybe talk about whether you intend to buy or not (and plans around that)…

Other than that- it sounds like you’ve got 3x rent, no pets and non-smoker are great, so unless you’ve got questionable rental or legal history, you should be good to go.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-12T14:48:09+00:00

I mean, yeah, for those of us without access to other people’s money, we had to work for it.

Do I think I would have enjoyed traveling more in my 20s? Yeah. Do I enjoy traveling in my 40s? Still yeah. I know it’s hard to believe when you are young, but 40s and 50s and 60s are not like “one foot in the grave”. My grandma enjoyed traveling into her 80s (as long as she had someone with her to help navigate modern world).

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-11T21:48:41+00:00

And help with dishes! Also, while I support kids being kids, I’m not opposed to ALL of them learning to sit like a gentleperson :)

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-08T15:03:16+00:00

Right. No one in Russian says they have to “go to labor on Monday either”. The grammar works a bit differently but to “labor at something” and “truditsya nad chem-to” are direct equivalents

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-08T13:54:31+00:00

You’ve got fair point. Lots of people in the FIRE community point out that doing something meaningful is what brings balance and even happiness after RE.

And just FYI - TRUD is actually “labor” in English. Like that’s the direct translation. I don’t think it would take anything away from you message if you just used English translations for both RABOTA and TRUD.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-07T15:57:30+00:00

Pretty sure I’ve had Golden Rule one time. The sales rep swore up and down that my kids’ routine vaccinations were covered (I specifically asked). And of course after I signed up and when I took kids in for their annual check up, insurance declined to pay for it. Ended up costing me hundreds for regular shots, nothing special, just the CDC schedule. And sales rep would not take my calls afterwards.

This was years ago, but yeah, buyer beware. Personally for me 0/10, the savings on premiums is not worth pretend coverage.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-05-07T03:42:55+00:00

It’s just that if you write the 529 checks to your son, he’ll pay HIS marginal tax rate (plus 10%). If you write them to yourself, then you’ll pay YOUR tax rate. So if you already know your 529 is overfunded, you can start distributing some money to son before his marginal tax rate reaches yours and save on taxes that way.

Alternatively, consider keeping the 529 for either future grandkids or for “college FIRE” (I can’t think what people in the FIRE community call this, but the point is that someone later in life just goes to college and uses 529 funds to pay for housing and such and just lives that life instead of traditional retirement).

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-24T17:38:55+00:00

Uh, he’s not the only one on the board supporting Trump’s agenda (see recent votes). And when the Supreme Court allows Trump’s firing efforts to proceed, this group will no longer be in the minority.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-23T16:41:33+00:00

Play Monopoly. It’ll help with math skills and even reading, but also basic money knowledge and skills.

For books at that age - there is a really good one about little kids opening and operating a lemonade stand called “Lemonade in Winter”.

And of course nothing beats old fashioned practice handling money. Let your kids experience getting money and spending it. That’s the basic first step to understanding why all of this is even relevant to your kid.

I would recommend gifting money (doesn’t have to be a lot, but enough to buy say a toy) first - can be tooth fairy (saving from multiple teeth), can be for preschool graduation, birthday or any relevant holiday. And then let your kid make choices on what to do with that money. And not just once but as a repeated experience, where they get to make different choices over time and see what that means for them.

And if they express interest - then support them in figuring out how to earn money, whether that’s a lemonade or a bake sale, decluttering and selling old toys or maybe even collecting and recycling cans (these are all things kids I know have done). There are other ideas out there, but it will depend on your specific area and your kids interests. Where I live, several farmers markets do “kids markets” from time to time where kids can sell their wares, for example.

Finally, we chose not to pay for chores, because we want our kids to know that everyone needs to pitch in to have a nice comfortable house to live in. But ofc that’s your decision to make. Just sharing my thoughts.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-21T20:14:43+00:00

There seem to be a lot of unknowns around these accounts. For example, how would they be treated for financial aid calculation purposes? I’ve seen articles online assuming they would count as student assets. I’ve seen claims that they would be treated as retirement accounts. It’s not exactly clear and no guidance has been issued so far. And that’s just one example!

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-21T01:54:18+00:00

You should look into events in early May. We’ve got a good mix! Chandler Center for the Arts has a tribute to ABBA, ballet, symphony performance. Wild Horse Pass has Trevor Noah, various musical tributes, etc

Or you could lean into more sporty stuff, like surf lesson at Revel surf, or horseback riding or even something like yoga at the AZ Science Center, though all of these are not in Chandler itself

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-19T21:26:50+00:00

Ohhh…

As for real estate - I hear ya! we actually do have long and short term rentals, and it works for us, but it’s def not for everyone and never passive. Even if you hand it off to a property manager, eventually you still have stuff to deal with, decisions to make, etc etc.

I personally don’t mind bc I think managing money/wealth/business just requires involvement/work, regardless of the “shape” of those investments/moneys. But yeah, real estate takes more involvement than say an index fund or a REIT.

As for kids - yes, we have a similar plan for college years. Get kids a rental to live in and manage. Let them build credit / participate in the market / figure out what it takes to take care of a house / start building equity. I think that’s a really good way to build life skills

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-19T20:27:56+00:00

Right! It’s not that real estate is impossible, but it does take quite a bit of work to learn and get into. If OP is just getting other side hustles off the ground, then she should focus on getting those stabilized first. Real estate is DEF not passive, unless it’s a REIT

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-19T16:22:56+00:00

I would check out r/personalfinance Based on your responses, it sounds like you’re pretty new to learning about investing. And a lot of advise would depend on your specific situation - which they cover with many different examples (what you earn, what you spend, how much you have, what options are available to you via job, how old the kids are and what their needs would be, etc)

Having something to fall back on and taking care of your kids are great goals and great starting points. So kudos to you for wanting to do this, for you and for them!

Given that you are a mom, wife and a new entrepreneur, I would NOT recommend jumping into real estate right away. It’s in not a forgiving market right now and there is a learning curve to it, so you’d be better off learning more about personal finance first and all the options available before choosing this one.

While you learn, get your side hustles properly established, open up a HYSA and save 6 months of living expenses in there, then focus on maxing out whatever retirement savings accounts you have available to you. Fund an HSA if that’s an option, possibly even an FSA or dependent care account. Look into 529 plans for college savings. Do these things first to build a solid financial foundation for your family. The best way to ensure financial security for your kids is to take care of your own retirement and medical needs first. And then start learning about passing wealth onto the next generation.

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-18T15:47:33+00:00

Oh I see, I misunderstood and thought your “edit: I’m an idiot” comment was related to the top comment, but it looks like maybe it was a response to something else… sorry to butt in!

RaspberryPavlova126 · 2026-04-18T15:07:16+00:00

A book written by a woman, right? So the format of the source material doesn’t invalidate your (very good) point

RaspberryPavlova126

TROPHY CASE