what to tell children/bad economy

Jeff Allen · #1 (**permalink**) 07-10-2009, 01:04 PM

To the parents:

Our godchild lives with us. He is a very young 12. Out of the blue he is worrying about whether we can afford to keep him in Christian school (which he loves) We told him not to worry. That it was our concern not his and that he would stay there no problem.

Have nay of your children felt this way?

We have never discussed finances with him

Where does his concern come from? Have some of his classmates dropped out for lack of funds? Does he understand from TV that the nation is in bad shape?

What do we tell him? My feelings are that a child should never feel insecure.

Makes me think of that children's classic "Mama's Bank Account"

In Christ's love

Tripel · #2 (**permalink**) 07-10-2009, 01:13 PM

My children are much younger, so that's not an issue for us at the moment. But my take on this is that it's fine for children to understand a rough economy, but they also need to know what the parents' priorities are and know they will be met. For example, the child needs to not worry that he will have a roof over his head and food on the table, and christian education might be up there for your family as well. You can explain to him that sometimes you have to make sacrifices, but those sacrifices are chosen so that the priorities are met.

LawrenceU · #3 (**permalink**) 07-10-2009, 02:00 PM

Our daughter, almost 14, is very much aware of what is going on in the economy and is also aware of the tight restrictions on our budget. We have used this as an opportunity to show her the faithfulness of God in supplying our needs. It has been wonderful to see her faith grow.