Parenting is hard work. VERY hard work with no monetary pay. But the economy still has a huge impact on the stress that comes with parenting. MSNBC ran a great story about how these troubled economic times are adding stress to clashes over parenting. It's logical that when a family is worried about how they are going to pay their bills, the tension can mount and spill over into every other area of life. Unfortunately, the kids get caught in the crossfire. And marriages suffer.
So what can we do to recession-proof our parenting? How can we minimize the impact a poor economic situation has on our family's stress-levels?
- Make a conscious decision to be on the same team with your partner. Don't let the kids know you're in disagreement regarding a parenting choice. Because saavy kids (and aren't they all saavy these days?) will DIVIDE AND CONQUER!
- Find inexpensive or (better yet) free activities you can do as a family. If you're still finding ways to play together, you'll be less likely to be at each other's throats. But if your play is further busting your budget…it will only lead to more conflict.
- Take the time to encourage one another. I know I forget to tell my husband how much I appreciate that he works two jobs to keep our family going. I need to do better.
- Make saving money a family affair. Get the kids involved in coupon-clipping or organizing. Have a family yard sale and give them their own area for selling toys they have outgrown or gotten tired of.
- When you feel yourself about to lose your cool with the kids, take a moment to evaluate the REAL source of your stress. It's not your child's fault you're worried about losing your job or making the next mortgage payment.
- Remain consistent in your disciplining. If stress makes you lenient sometimes and hard-nosed other times, your children are going to be terribly confused. Likewise, if one parent reacts to the stress by adopting an anything-goes mentality with the kids and the other becomes a drill sergeant…well…that's obviously not going to play out well in the long run.
Above all, remember that your family will hopefully be around long after our economy picks back up. Focus on keeping things as positive as possible until that happens. Hang in there!
Loading ...
