Kristin Cavallari's Parenting Hack: Kids in Coach, Mom in First Class

What's a modern way to teach kids about the value of a dollar? For Kristin Cavallari, it involves a little in-flight separation.

The Very Cavallari star shared a candid parenting strategy on the July 7 episode of the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast. She revealed that she makes her three children—Camden Jack, 13, Jaxon, 12, and Saylor, 10—fly in coach while she travels in first class.

"My kids don’t just get whatever they want," Cavallari said. "And if they want something, they have to work for it."

She explained that she's "hyper-aware" her children are "growing up in a very fortunate situation," which is why she seizes any opportunity to teach them a financial lesson. "Something as small as they fly coach, I’m flying first class," the 39-year-old continued. "That was important to me when they became old enough that they could. It’s not [difficult to do] when they’re older. I’m like, ‘Bye guys, have fun back there.’"

Cavallari believes these small actions add up. "It’s good for them. And I think it’s the little things like that as a parent that make, ultimately, I think, a big difference in the long run."

The Laguna Beach alum and Uncommon James founder is clear with her kids about the source of her wealth: "This is my money. This is not your money." To drive the point home, she encourages entrepreneurship. She shared that last summer, both of her boys started their own small businesses—one washing windows, the other washing garbage cans. "Because if they want something, they got to go work for it. And they got to make it happen."

Despite her tough-love financial lessons, Cavallari's overall parenting philosophy is centered on her children. She noted on the podcast that there's "no one size fits all" approach to balancing business and motherhood, adding, "What works for me is very different from what will work for you." Her comments offer a glimpse into how she's raising her three kids, whom she shares with ex-husband Jay Cutler, to understand the connection between work and reward, even if it means they're seated a few cabins behind her.