I came upon this wonderful story of a little girl who won the National Foundation for Credit Counseling’s 2007 financial literacy poster contest. This year’s theme was, “Plant the Seed of Saving to Grow Your Future.” Her name is Krystal Saunders, a twelve-year-old, seventh grader at McKinley Middle School in St. Albans.

I think it’s really important as parents to start teaching our children about finances, the experience of having a job, and about being responsible for every aspect of their lives. In fact the true hallmark of an adult is that they can take responsibility for all aspects of their life, and you have to convey this idea to your children.

Here is the winning drawing below.

Krystal made the poster that showed her as a tree — with feet morphing into roots and growing into the ground, and hands reaching up holding leaves. Inside the tree are pictures that represent her future — a car, a house, a family and a college graduation cap.

You can read more about this inspirational girl here.