Children feel financial stress, too
Yeah, I know, the Covid-19 pandemic is winding down and the economy is turning around, but there’s still plenty of people who work two jobs, may be laid off, and have bills piling up. I’m amazed at the number of people now seeking help from food banks who were actual donors a few years back. Others who worked a steady forty-hour week with overtime now are laid off or must survive working less hours…with no benefits. There are more children on free/reduced school lunches than ever before and increasing numbers of kids have no healthcare coverage.
Children are not immune from our uncertain economy and the financial strain it places on them is underestimated. They sense the increased stress in their parents and hear and read about it in the news. I guess the best time for parents to discuss job insecurity and bills piling up wouldn’t be during dinner, but quietly after the kids are asleep. Children need “predictableness” in times of family stress, so try and keep your discipline and expectations of them positive and consistent, and the household routine as unwavering as possible. Researchers found that, when families undergo extended struggles, like on-going financial difficulties, children may develop sleep difficulties, headaches or stomachaches, even have unexplained fears or anxiety that may take the form of clinging behaviors.
Don’t hide the truth from them. Tell them the reasons why the family adjustments are necessary, for children’s fear of the unknown will frighten them more than the truth. If the tight family budget means they can’t get a puppy for Christmas, so be it. But always reassure them that the family will be okay, which it most likely will be, for everything in life is cyclical and that goes for the financial markets, too- most economists predict an upswing later on this year, a growth rate of 5 to 8 percent.
I hope this monetary turnaround filters down to the American household, and less people experience economic hardships and financial distress. It would be nice if fewer had to worry about holding on to their jobs, homes, cars, retirement accounts, belongings, savings, health insurance, and meeting their basic needs. Think of how happier the children would be, too.
Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and has retired from his positions of adjunct professor in the School of Leadership and Policy Studies at Bowling Green State University. He authored two spy thriller novels: “PENUMBRA DATABASE” and “MISSION OF VENGEANCE”- both can be found in Kindle or paperback at Amazon.com books.