You Asked For It: Tell The Kids,..."Times Are Hard!"

This may be a tough one for parents. Especially if your kids have gotten used to getting the latest gadgets, coolest (do they still use "cool"?)fashion, or newest video games. But times are hard. We know it, and have to deal with it. Why shouldn't they? I know we want our children to have all the things that we didn't have when we were growing up. But enough is enough. How did we survive without those things? I bet a lot of us didn't even know that we didn't have them back then (I guess we didn't really need them).

Seriously, during these difficult economic times families have to pull together, make sacrifices. Parents are losing jobs, having problems paying their bills, maybe needing to change living situations, perhaps change schools (from private to public). Younger kids don't necessarily need to know the specific details, nor be burdened with your worries. But they all need to know the meaning of "tightening our belts," that is adjusting to a reduced family budget. Another thing to be aware of is the need to help family members manage the stress, and negative emotions that may result. It's hard to adjust to not having control over our life as we once did.

The answer is good communication. Listening.Allowing kids to have input into what the family does, where possible. Parenting consistently. Maintaining a regular schedule and routine. Remaining optimistic, and projecting those positive expectations to your loved ones. You are in control. Make the changes that you need to make and work things out.

Thank you to our friend Ann for suggesting this topic.