Not to tell children/family that I am out of job?
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Anonymous
| OP, there is no need to tell your children. They are quite young and don’t understand what this means anyway. No need to tell family outside of your husband either. As long as you aren’t borrowing money or financially responsible for those family members, it isn’t their business. Depending on how long the job search takes I would consider ending aftercare in the New Year to save money before ending daycare. Good luck and best wishes. |
Anonymous
I've got two words for you -- $5 Below! Girl, thankfully your kids are still SO young, so you can get away with buying all of their Xmas & birthday gifts at $5 Below... because everything is $5 (or) Below! Your kids would LOVE the gifts they get from that store... they have hundreds of items that you'd buy at stores like Kohl's, it's not cheap garbage that will fall apart like some of the things at the dollar store, for example. They have tons of name brand toys, crafts, electronics, games, you name it & they have it! They have such cute remote control Star Wars droids, like BB8 that work! I actually just bought my 18 year old daughter a six pack of the cutest Champion ankle socks & a six pack of the calf length Nike socks that you see so many kids wearing, just last night. A friend's son was gong of to college for the first time and my daughter & I made a him a going away basket and got everything from there. We got him a really cool reversible dart board, a laundry stand up tall laundry basket that has a basketball hoop attached to the top, so throwing laundry in is fun like a game, we got a really soft & snuggly throw blanket for his bed (they have some real nice ones for teens, but tons for kids) we got one of those squishmallows stuffed animals that the kids love & we found one that looks just like his golden retriever (that we know he'll miss), we also got one of those that's an animal one way and you turn it inside out and it turns into a different animal, he'd also been wanting a poker set & chips & they had that, we got him a few sets of 20 foot LED lights to decorate his dorm room with, we got him a bunch of small filler items like a really nice smelling scented candle that smells like the ones his mom uses in their house, a bottle of tylenol, a bottle of hand sanitizer, a sleep eye mask & ear plugs, and they literally have every single kind of candy that you can ever imagine -- hundreds of choices, even candy you haven't seen in decades, like lemongrass, razzle, etc. so we tossed in a bunch of candy he likes. He loved everything and was so appreciative of the creativity. Sorry to get so detailed, just wanted to give you examples, lol. I'm telling you, mom, you could have a field day in that store and totally stay within whatever you budgeted for their gifts -- that store is is truly a gift in and of itself! They don't have everything they stock listed on their website, but they do have a lot of items that they carry in their stores, just to give you an idea of the quality and items they carry. The site is good, but the store (I go to the one in Rockville) is so much better. https://www.fivebelow.com/ |
Anonymous
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* going off |
Anonymous
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* ugh, and Lemonheads, not lemongrass! |
Anonymous
| We did not tell our kids when DH lost his job. It would create unnecessary stress for them. |
Anonymous
| You guys don't teach resiliency. |
Anonymous
A sever-year-old isn’t learning resiliency by getting all the facts of his mom’s employment termination. Honestly, it’s like you have never met an actual human child. |
Anonymous
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Your children are young, I would not tell them. Do not pull them out of their programs if you can afford it for a little while. You will need the extra daycare if you find a job soon and the job market is good right now.
We didn’t have a lot of money when I was little and I never knew it because my parents made them joyful. When I got older, they talked about the Christmas they really had nothing. My mom drew Disney characters and framed them for us as one of the presents. She was not an artist and might have traced them. You know what I remember? Opening up that present and thinking “WOW!!!” As a little kid, it was a character I loved and my mom made it. I don’t remember many gifts as a child but that one stands out as one of the best. I had no idea that was the year my parents were struggling. |
Anonymous
They don't need all the facts. My dad lost his job when I was young. Wasn't a big deal. I didn't worry about money, ( middle class). I knew my parents would handle it. How are your kids going to learn how to cope as adults when they never saw you cope with difficult situations. They don't need details. Just " I'm no longer working at my job. That's fine. I will find a new one. We have savings for this reason. Everything is okay Larla". As a kid, I wouldn't have given this another thought. You guys all must suffer anxiety. |
Anonymous
Why would that stress them? They think you have no savings? They don't feel confident mom and dad will provide for them? You don't think you have a back up plan? |
Anonymous
You're saying you're NOT op, but you responded by saying "we pay by semester, so it's all paid up"?? 🤔 Come on OP, don't do that... |
Anonymous
My husband’s dad lost his job when he (my DH) was 7. It was not something that either of in my in laws really remember. It was only for a few months and while there was worry, they had savings to tide them over. It stands out as a huge looming thing in my DH’s mind. He didn’t have the perspective to deal and it just frightened and overwhelmed him. I am sure some kids wouldn’t give it a second thought but many kids will. |
Anonymous
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If you present it as no big deal, they won't be worried.
Act like you are thrilled to have extra time with the kids and the kids will love it. |
Anonymous
Agreed - that is so weird! |
Anonymous
Exactly - young kids are going to follow your lead. I think it is a very odd approach. |