You’ve lost your job and you have children. What should you tell them? How much should you tell them? Here are some tips.
Do
Be honest but age-appropriate.
Tell preschool children Mummy or Daddy will be home for a while.
Tell school-age children that things like pizza nights will be less frequent for the next few months.
Tell teens they can partner in the family finances by finding a part-time job to continue their activities.
Keep it positive.
Canadian marriage and family therapist John Henderson says the younger the child, the more normal the routine should remain.
Do things together: Bake cakes at home or make pizza from scratch.
Be creative.
Cut expenses, not activities. Think of things to do that don’t involve spending, like playing scrabble or a picnic in the park.
Henderson suggests involving the whole family to find creative ways to save, and barter, trade or share.
Don’t
Overwhelm.
Reassure children that everything will be fine and that Mum or Dad will find a new job.
Answer their questions without overburdening them.
Belittle their concerns.
Children worry about things like a school trip or a birthday party. Remember: It’s very important to a child.
Underestimate your kids.
Children will know something is wrong, even if you don’t tell them.
Children can be the source of creative ideas to save money and still have fun.
- Lisa McColl
The New Family Dinner
Kids who eat with their family do better in school and are less likely to smoke, drink, do drugs or get into fights than those who are left to their own devices at dinnertime. But with two-career households and demanding schedules, who has the time? Remember three key rules:
Allow a little leeway. In addition to all its other benefits, “having dinner together is probably the single most important way to promote good health and nutrition,” says Dr David Ludwig, author of Ending the Food Fight. But experts agree that the family meal doesn’t have to mean Mum, Dad and all the kids sitting in the dining room at 9pm five nights a week, eating a made-from-scratch meal. Surprising new research shows that even if the meal is served in front of the TV, kids eat healthier than those who don’t dine with loved ones. Not that anyone advocates a blaring TV during dinner, but the study suggests it doesn’t make a big difference: When a family dines together, they eat better.
Even if it’s take-away food, when it’s eaten at home, with others, it still counts. (Add salad, milk or healthy side dishes.) “Eating together, no matter what you eat, slows down the process, extending family time,” says Dr Ludwig.
Commit to it. If a family dinner just won’t work, try breakfast or weekend brunches. The point is to create a routine and stick to it. If you miss a day, pick up where you left off.
Talk it out. Share a meal with your children and they’ll share information about their lives. No matter how busy they are, Susan and Kevin Macchi of New York try to eat dinner with their sons, ages 11 and 14, even if the food comes from a restaurant and even if just one parent can get there. “Without a lot of prodding, information just spills out,” Susan says. “I’ve learned so much more than when we didn’t have dinner together regularly.” To make it work, she enlists the help of family members to get the food on the table.
Kids and Job Loss 
The New Family Dinner 
