Stress, the Economy, and Children

I'm sure all of you are aware of the current downturn in our economy. With the financial problems that surround us, stress levels of many individuals have gone up! Not only are adults feeling the consequences of stress but their stress is rubbing off on their kids. I recently came across a news article that discussed this issue.
Kids are feeling the stress of the financial crisis. Most of their worry comes from uncertainty. Financial experts say that the best way to reassure your kids is to do so in an age appropriate way and to be honest about the situation.
This is the best way to deal with any economic crisis that comes up. I think that parents get caught up with the stress that they are experiencing and forget about the worry that their kids must be experiencing. When I was 11, my family experienced some financial problems. My dad was forced into early retirement, and at the time I had no idea what the impact meant. All I understood was that he didn't have a job anymore, and I was convinced that we were going to be poor and that we might lose our house and that I would have no place to live. This really shook me up and I was very concerned about the well being of my family! Eventually my parents were able to explain to me that everything was going to be fine and that we would still have money, but that these changes meant that we were going to have to cut back on our spending. Looking back at this situation, the stress and worry that I felt as a child could have easily been avoided if my parents had explained everything to me from the beginning and simply reassured me that everyone was going to be OK.
For more on ways to help children deal with stress, visit KidsHealth.org.