728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Family › Raising Toddlers During Recession

Raising Toddlers During Recession

Tips for Communicating with Small Children in Hard Times

By Katherine Bontrager

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Layoffs, high gas prices and foreclosures pepper the newspapers – and families are feeling the pinch. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Munchkin Inc. and CoolMomPicks.com found that of 2,908 moms surveyed, 56 percent said they'd be purchasing fewer items given the tough economic times.

So how do parents explain that money is tight and that things may have to be scaled back? Should parents tell toddlers that Daddy or Mommy doesn't have a job anymore? How about that the family needs to downsize in terms of house or possessions? And how can all of this be balanced with unsuspecting children who often have a classic case of the "gimmes"?

Keep It Simple

Dr. Nancy M. Porter is a family resource management specialist with the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service in Clemson, S.C. Her areas of expertise include family financial management and consumer education, so she's well aware of the toll the current economy has had on families.

"I do think that parents should be open and discuss financial matters with children in age-appropriate language during challenging financial situations," Dr. Porter says. "A child may need to be 3 or 4 before they can grasp the idea of a parent losing a job and the financial results. Of course, all children are different and some may be able to understand the concept of losing a job long before other children."

But as with most things, sometimes too much is just that – too much. And this is particularly true when it comes to communicating changes to youngsters. "Be careful about keeping boundaries," says Dr. Robin F. Goodman, a licensed clinical psychologist and art therapist with a private practice in New York City. "Children don't need to know everything about adult problems. The big thing to realize is that kids who are 3, 4 or 5 don't have the cognitive ability to understand complex problems. Children at this age really believe the world is about them. Well-intended parents go overboard in discussing family issues. Too much information isn't helpful; it puts little kids in positions that they can't handle – they're not partners in all this in the same way parents are."


Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Want to see more?

Comments

There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to add a comment.

Post As:
Enter your comment below:
Title
Comment Text
CAPTCHA
Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection.