Dmmetler Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 As I posted last night, one of my husband's co-workers lost his job yesterday, very unexpectedly, after a meeting with his boss that he'd assumed would be for his performance review. DH's is scheduled for today-and he's very afraid that he'll get the same response, for various reasons (most of which comes down to the fact that it's been obvious that the company is replacing more senior people who cost more with just out of college folks-and DH is probably now the most experienced and therefore most expensive non-management person they have). We talked about this after DD went to bed, but it's obvious this morning that she was listening. I've already talked to her, and tried to reassure her, but I can't do much since I won't be reassured until about 2:00 today, when hopefully, we'll know if DH still has a job (and where it is-it wouldn't surprise us at all to have a forced transfer even if he HAS a job). And she simply doesn't have much mental power to work with this morning. After Singapore Math caused a total meltdown, I pulled out some of the Disney princess practice workbooks I picked up at Dollar tree. I'm thinking that she NEEDS school so that she's not just sitting and waiting for the phone to ring...but I'm wondering, what else can I do this morning to keep her busy, make her FEEL like it's a regular day as much as possible, but not give her more than she can handle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 read aloud or listen to a book together. I hope it works out for you and your dh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 If it were my family, and we were that stressed out, I'd opt to snuggle on the couch with a couple movies. Some days, you have to accept that you're going to get nothing productive done and just go with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I fall into the camp of "kids don't need to know everything going on in mom and dad's lives". If she listened in - in my house that's snooping and she'd have a consequence. I'd explain that it will be fine (which it will, either way) and then move on. School as normal. Consequences for ill behavior as normal. Just because we homeschool doesn't mean our little ones need to know everything or that it's best for them to know. Your DD is 6. She doesn't need to know about adult issues. Reassure her and move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I agree with the reading aloud. Anything hands-on would be great, too. Bake something, do a fun science experiment, go for a nature walk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I fall into the camp of "kids don't need to know everything going on in mom and dad's lives". If she listened in - in my house that's snooping and she'd have a consequence. Wow. That seems a bit harsh. Kids are naturally curious about their parents and what is happening with the family, and events like the op mentioned do have an impact on the child's life. I certainly wouldn't try to punish that very normal curiosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LidiyaDawn Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 We talked about this after DD went to bed, but it's obvious this morning that she was listening. I fall into the camp of "kids don't need to know everything going on in mom and dad's lives". If she listened in - in my house that's snooping and she'd have a consequence. I'd explain that it will be fine (which it will, either way) and then move on. School as normal. Consequences for ill behavior as normal. Just because we homeschool doesn't mean our little ones need to know everything or that it's best for them to know. Your DD is 6. She doesn't need to know about adult issues. Reassure her and move on. The OP didn't say that her daughter had snuck down the stairs and hid behind the couch... If the child was in bed (as the post seems to say) and overheard her folks talking, where's the snooping? What should she have done, laid there with her fingers jammed in her ears? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I don't think she tried to overhear so much as that we should have waited a little longer before beginning the conversation. And since DD has read pretty much every American Girl book our library has, I'm not surprised that the idea of Daddy losing his job scared her, more than perhaps it should have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 We've had some stressful days here in the last week or so (my father passed away unexpectedly last Monday). My vote goes for making it Library Day, Museum Day, or Coffee Shop Day! We take our school books to a different location and it helps get our mind off of things. Today is going to have to be a Library Day for us.....and since our library doesn't mind if I drink coffee as long as the cup has a lid, it's a nice Coffee Day for me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonshine Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Depending on her personality, can you joke about it a little - let's think about what kind of new job Daddy can get - dogcatcher, circus clown, doctor, etc. Maybe talk about the jobs you have had and what she might want to be when she grows up. Tell stories about people who got laid off and got even better jobs. If she's young enough and into dress up, she could even dress up as people in different professions. Make it more about being excited about what's next if he loses his job, than everything will be okay even though it will be rough (although she may need a little of that, depending on her awareness of money issues and what exactly she heard y'all talking about) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I don't think children should be overly sheltered from life's bad turns. My father lost his business when the family farms started to die out in the midwest during the '80s. Thankfully, he didn't shelter my sister and I from the realities as those lessons have served us well into adulthood. We were in a similar BTDT this summer when my husband's business went under. We took a couple days to regroup and catch our breathes, then we did a super fun unit study for the next month. DS and I both needed that structure to the days that homeschooling gives us, but I needed something light and fun and different. I also didn't want DS and DH to get used to playing Wii all day long. ;) Continuing on with school was good for us. I will say that our DS was very, very stressed for quite a while. We tried to downplay DH's unemployment, but DS is just one of those children that stresses easily. We were prepared financially so it didn't impact our lives too much, but we found that DS needed to tell *everyone* that his dad was unemployed. Just his way of dealing with it. Best wishes to your husband and :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.