Don't Forget the Family

Times may be tough, but whatever you do, please don't lose your focus on the family. I know I posted on this recently, but it bears repeating because I've seen and talked to so many families under stress trying to shield their kids from the burdens they are facing. This is EXACTLY the time to enlist your family in the effort to help work things out. Your kids are going to "feel" any stress that you may be feeling, whether you talk to them directly or not. So talk to them, reassure them, let them know that you are working hard to make sure that everything is going to work out, no matter how bad things may seem.

Make them a part of the process, "we need to conserve, kids, so please don't run the faucet when you're brushing your teeth, pour only enough milk into your cereal bowl and please only flush once." They will want to help. Let them.

-John