One isn’t more real than the other. They are both numbers in an online database. In one case your assets are going down, in the other your liabilities are going up. The net result is the same.

I agree with dougdude. I like debit cards better because you see the balance change immediately. The thing I dislike about credit cards is payment is deferred by a month.

The parent isn't explaining it well, largely because it's not rational.

I think of it like alcoholics who can't be near alcohol. It's some deep seated degeneracy or fear.

It's a world of difference if one of them gets stolen vs the other.