Читать книгу Cathy Glass 3-Book Self-Help Collection - Cathy Glass, Cathy Glass - Страница 56

A parent losing their job will have a huge effect on the household, including any children. As with any family crisis, it has the potential to affect your child’s behaviour. Even if you try to shield your child, he or she will soon sense your worries, and become anxious, which may well come out in their behaviour. It is therefore essential to keep the boundaries and expectations in place, with the emphasis on reassuring your child.

Talk to your child about what has happened – ‘Daddy is at home a lot because he is looking for another job,’ or ‘Mummy is very quiet because she is upset at having to find another place to work.’ You will very likely have had a dramatic drop in income with redundancy, and it’s OK to explain to your child that money is short, without offloading on him or her how bad the situation really is – ‘Claire, I’m afraid you won’t be able to have the new designer trainers/iPod/piano lessons at present, as we are having to be careful with money.’ Only confide in your child what is age appropriate: otherwise the child will fret and worry about something over which he or she has no control – i.e. the parent finding work. Despite what you might be feeling inside, reassure your child that you know what to do, are in control of the situation and are sorting it out. The child can’t find you or your partner another job, or manage the household budget, so don’t offload your own concerns on to them, or they will become even more anxious.