by Colin Lovett, PICurrent Managing Producer
Parenting can be difficult in the best of times. Â Everything from getting the kids up in the morning (a challenge in my house) to answering the big questions of life and trying to teach them how to live as good, productive people.
In a bad economy, it can be even worse. Â Not only do we all have more worries, our kids do also.
This week I was talking with my 11-year-old about doing his chores. He surprised me when he asked if I was going to lose my job. What made it surprising is it didn’t come from anything I had said.  Rather, he had been hearing news reports of a lot of people being put out of work. Â
The lesson for me is that I should have been talking with him about this sooner. Kids can feel very vulnerable and need to hear from the adults in their lives that things will be OK. Â So talk with your kids. Â They may have worries you don’t even know about.Â
We decided to do this special posting now to invite other bloggers to also write about “parenting in a recession”, offering their takes and advice. Â
We also wanted to let people know about a special online series pic.tv will be premiering in January, called “Diary of a Single Mom.” Â Take a look at the show page and come back on January 5th to see the trailer. The series will premier online in late January.Â
Meanwhile, please visit these other sites to see what they have to say about parenting in a recession. We’d love to include your take also. Â If you’re a blogger, write about it on your site and send us the link by clicking here. Â If you don’t have your own site, use the comment section below to tell us your ideas for parenting in a recession.
Blog Links
On Teens Today -Â There is a fine balance between teaching kids how to be prepared about money and freaking them out that you might run out. Read More…
Solo Dot Mom - As a single parent, I know what it means to live within a tight budget, to sacrifice and become rigid in what is considered a need over what is considered a want. Now as times get tough and money gets tighter; many single parents find themselves in dire times. Read More…
Mommy-Muse Blog - Parenting can be tough during the best of times. An unstable socio-economic environment can make the creation of a secure home environment that much more difficult. Many families no longer have a stable home, and jobs are being lost faster than they’re being created. Read More…
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Parenting in a Recession « PIC Current…
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[...] the world, they are engaging bloggers to offer empowering ideas about parenting during a recession. Click through to find out [...]
Hello Colin,
Great article, and sound advice about being aware of our children’s sensitivities and communicating early and often. Thanks for linking to my post on finding peace in the holidays. Here’s one I just posted specifically about parenting during a recession: http://www.mommy-muse.com/blog/2008/12/postpartum-survival-strategies-parenting-during-a-recession/
Keep up the great work! I look forward to featuring the Diary of a Single Mom on “The Mommy-Muse Is In: Empowering Your Journey into Motherhood” next month on the VoiceAmerica.com Health & Wellness Network.
Thanks for taking part Christie and thanks for the excellent post. Well done!
I just remembered to mention the weekly free giveaways that can be a real boon to cash-strapped moms on “The Mommy-Muse Is In” on the VoiceAmerica.com Health & Wellness Network. Guests are donating wonderful freebies. Whoever writes a question in to mommymuselive@gmail.com that gets read first on the show wins! Next week’s giveaway is a $75 gift certificate from Bella Materna, creators of luxury lingerie for pregnant and postpartum women. There will be a new gift each week, so people can sign up at my blog or main website at Mommy-Muse.com to stay posted and win some great prizes. Thanks again, Christy
I am a therapist in New Jersey and I am seeing the stress that the economic downturn is causing children of all ages. No matter how many assurances they are given they still believe that one or both parents is going to lose their jobs. The fact is they could be right. You are right when you say that kids are thinking about things and feeling things that as parents we don’t always know about. People/parents need to keep in mind how much media attention there is on the economy with constant details about how bad things are. One of the things I advise, depending upon the age of the child, is to talk to them about having a plan for this new economy. When children know that their parents are prepared-even for the bad things, they feel more stable.
From a teen’s perspective, parents should be open with their teens about how the recession is affecting their family and lifestyle because many teens are unaware. Some a left worrying that it’s their fault that their parents have to cut back and some think the absolute opposite, that their family is doing great despite what’s going on. Many teens won’t mind changing around certain things or giving up some privileges so that their parents can afford necessities. I write for a parenting blog called Radical Parenting where teens write about current issues from a teen’s perspective. Another intern wrote about how the recession is affecting teens and their choices, here’s the link: http://www.radicalparenting.com/2009/08/08/how-the-recession-is-affecting-teens-teen-article/.
[...] 17, 2009 by Alexis Cala Not too long ago, we talked about parenting in a recession and how to cope with the ups and downs as a family. But with the holidays less than two weeks away [...]