Arlene Park Arnold/ Money Mindset

Copied from email received from Steven Arnold (oldest son):
Our mother had the great trial in life of having to pay bills without enough money to pay them. In hindsight she was a saint.   Not once did I ever ask our parents for money once we moved to the farm. (in town I used to ask for a dime once in a while to go swimming in the public pool). On the farm I had my own little milk check from my own little cow that gave a little milk. She was a Jersey. The little milk check was the pay I got for working on the farm. Also, I sometimes earned other money working for other farmers. I never asked for money from our parents. I remember when I returned from my mission I worked on the farm while I took a few classes at Ricks before it came time to go to BYU in Provo. I did not have the money to go to college in Provo. Mom and Dad asked me if I was going to go to college down there and I told them I did not have any money to go. Without me asking them, they gave me $600 so I could go to BYU in Provo to tide me over until I could get a job down there. I did not consider the $600 as a gift nor as pay. When I graduated from college and mom and dad were divorced, I separately paid them back $300 each to pay back what they had given me. Our dear parents had a hard time in this old life as far as money was concerned. I remember them fighting many times about money. I did not like it when they fought about money. I bought a motorcycle for $400 when I was 14 years old and faithfully paid $15 per month payments on it for 2 1/2 years. Do you remember when I rented Mark Ricks little field across the fence that Ricks' didn't want to mess with because it was so small. I planted it in potatoes, irrigated it, harvested it, and sold the potatoes and gave Mark 1/3 for rent. I did that when I was 15 years old.
*end of Steve's email copy

My perspective on Steve's memory:
I find Steve's comments to be a validation of the Mother's mindset about money.  She was resourceful and expected her children to do the same.  It was not a lecture but was always an expectation.  The fact that at as young an age as 14, my brother had already learned the value of  utilizing limited funds to keep his word to repay a loan for a period of 2.5 years is quite amazing.  Our Mother's family, the Parks, were gifted entrepreneurs.  As I can recall,  all her brothers had their own businesses, ranging from farming, logging, bottled water, and even a trout enterprise.  I have memories of Mother selling her hand work when I was still in grade school.  I remember after all of us were gone, including Dad, she would resell a few items she bought at garage sales.  I was in college when Steve rented our neighbors little field.  I am gratified to learn this.  I am certain Mother fully expected him to run his little entrepreneurial adventure responsibly  in an excellent manner and in that, she was not disappointed.  I am certain she did not lecture, insist on progress reports, or double check on his quality of performance.  She knew the caliber of her son, knew he could do the job, and that was enough. 
My memory of asking for money was due to the fact that I did not do the outside daily milking and chores like my brothers.    I was never paid a cent for any labor nor did I ever resent it.  I wanted to get a summer job, but was discouraged due to Mother's health and the need for transportation for farm tasks.  I remember when I got home from my mission Dad gave me a pig in hopes her litter and subsequent sale would help me with expenses at BYU the coming fall, and it did.  Other than that experience, everything I earned before my senior year was most usually picking potatoes in the fall or sorting and cutting them in the spring for various neighbors.  I would try to stretch that money as far as it would go.   When I had money, I never asked my parents to finance any activity or perceived need.   If Dad would not have floated me for a movie or dance ticket during part of the school year, I would have never had much of a winter social life as a teen.  I think it was the same for my sister Robin.