Strollerderby : economic crisis

Get Your Stock Tips from These Kids

JeanneSager — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:27:00 GMT

You might still be content to track the market with CNBC and the Wall Street Journal, but I've got a lead on investing in Wisconsin.

A classroom of mini traders in Neenah, Wis. to be exact.

A group of fifth graders from Neenah more than doubled their money investing in fifteen different stocks, with a target on the big banks. It was all hypothetical money (and their parents are kicking themselves now, I'd bet), but it won them a state-wide economics contest.

The kids started with $100,000 (again, fake bills), and turned it into $203,000 within a period of ten weeks. Their prize is a trip to the New York Stock Exchange.

I remember doing a stock project back in high school (they start 'em so young these days, don't they?), but with picks that were based completely on my favorite things (at the time, The Gap and Tootsie Rolls), I didn't fare too well. But letting kids pick their own stocks was the name of this game - their teacher says he tells his charges he's there to act like a broker, to give advice, but not to make the decisions for them.

But no matter how much research these fifth graders did, do you really think they know any more than the folks on Wall Street? Or is this just a good reminder that the stock market really is a crap shoot?

Kids are Suffering in Emergency Rooms Nationwide

JeanneSager — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:00:00 GMT

No one wants to spend a night with their child in the emergency room. But the numbers of kids spending hours in the nation's ERs waiting to be seen by doctors is on the rise.

The problem? It's the economy (duh).

Without health insurance to cover an expensive doctor's visit, parents are turning to the emergency room for their primary care. And they're bringing their kids.

Forty-four percent of children's hospitals in the U.S. have reported a spike in emergency room visits. That's just child-specific hospitals, but numbers are up at other hospitals too (where patients are both adults and kids). This comes on the heels of already growing numbers - even when the economy was steady, the CDC reported a decade-long hike in emergency room visits from 1996 to 2006. Of them, kids made up the largest number, followed by adults over the age of seventy-five.

The chief problem is health insurance, and one in nine kids is estimated to be without it (and of those kids, nine in ten has at least one working parent and is a U.S. citizen). Even folks who qualify for Medicaid often end up carting their kids to the ER because private doctors won't accept it.

But kids are waiting longer and longer periods of time before getting treatment. That's both in the ER (where more visits combined with fewer emergency rooms means longer waits) and out - where parents who worry about the hospital bill are delaying the trip to the hospital. A recent Kaiser survey found at least twenty-seven percent of Americans have actually delayed care because of the cost, And that's what has medical practitioners worried.

Kids' bodies are changing quickly and their immune systems are less developed. They're at greater risk than the average adult, and they need healthcare more desperately than the average adult. Which means parents have to make tough choices - as hard as it may be, and as many sacrifices as it might take, that emergency room visit might be the best option.

Have you suddenly found yourself in an emergency room when you'd never visited one before?

Image: CBS News

Your Kid's Identity Is at Risk

JeanneSager — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Identity theft may be the hot topic at many a dinner party, but it might be time to start talking social security numbers on the playground.

Because hackers have turned their eyes toward our kids, making them the number one target of identity theft.

According to a recent article in Hitched, kids identities are the fastest growing sector for theft, and because kids aren't generally USING their own identities (not in the sense of a credit identity anyway), it can go unnoticed for years.

Just think, when was the last time you had to haul out your child's social security number for anything? Besides our yearly tax filing, I can count on one hand the number of times I've used it since she was born, and each time I've had to pull out the card to check the digits. Where we as parents can keep close tabs on our credit card bills to monitor any odd spending, most kids don't have bills coming to the house. Even kids' savings accounts are less likely to be monitored by adults - chiefly because we don't use them for anything other than holding money, which we'll check in oh, about eighteen years when the first tuition bill arrives.

No wonder the FTC has found half a million child identities are stolen every year, a number they expect to rise. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, more than half of those children whose identities were corrupted were under the age of six. Late last year, a study from Javelin Strategy and Research estimated one in twenty kids overall have been victimized. They've rung up an average of $12,000 in wrongly assigned debt.

Foster kids are a major target too. Shuttled in and out of homes, their most secret information is an open book shared with hundreds of adults, and not always the most trustworthy types. They're also more likely to come out of homes where parents have fallen on hard times, parents who used their identity with the best of intentions. A mom who couldn't get an electric company to allow her to open an account in her name, for example, uses her child's name and social security number to try to keep lights on for the family. But when she can't get a job and fails to pay the bills, the black marks grow on the child's credit.

With the grim economic picture, that's a factor that's spreading to more and more homes. The economy is no doubt having an affect on the numbers of desperate people looking for a clean slate.

Makes you want to run out and order your child's credit report, doesn't it? You should. Hitched has a list of other tips to protect your kids here. Will you be making some changes?

Image: Dr Bulldog

Will Kids Lose Their Crocs?

JeanneSager — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Could your kids' summer Crocs be the last they ever where?

The rubbery shoes that set the market alight in 2007 and had parents running out to buy easy on, easy off footwear for their kids is being described by business analysts as highly risky for investors. Some have gone as far as to say they see the Colorado shoemaker folding by the year's end.

Two years ago, the ugly (but oh so comfy) clogs were flying off shelves, and the stock was moving briskly at $72 a share. Now it's down to $2.99 a share; its fifty-two week high was a whopping $12.50. For parents who don't care for a stock lesson, let's just say things are bad. They lost more than half in 2008 of what they made in 2007.

But if the feet of the kids in my daughter's nursery school are a sign of anything, while Crocs popularity has fallen off with adults (who were largely made fun of by their friends), they're still holding strong with kids. As the mother of a Crocs wearer - the reasons are simple. They're easy for her to put on and take off by herself (especially as we haven't tackled how to tie your shoes) and easy to wash off when she stomps through a mud puddle or steps in something much worse.

Some parents were scared off by news that the shoes were getting caught in escalators last year (although others quickly pointed out that a foot clad only in a flip flop would be in even worse shape), but it seems parents are still buying Crocs.

What about you, Babble readers? Will you mourn Crocs if they slip off in the marsh or do you even care?

Image: Crocs

Child Prostitution On the Rise on Craigslist

JeanneSager — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:29:00 GMT

Need another sad and horribly depressing story about kids? Sorry to have to oblige.

Craigslist, home of the great deals on couches and awesome hand-me-down sources for kids clothes, has become the go-to source for people trying to pimp out little kids. And numbers are rising.

The problem is particularly rampant in Atlanta, where A Future. Not A Past, a non-profit that works to fight child prostitution, says as many as one hundred seventy-six ads were posted on the free site in February trying to find a john for little girls.

The group released its findings last week, just as the FBI is working to prosecute two men they say pimped out a seventeen-year-old girl, passing her off as nineteen and using Craigslist to find men to have sex with her in an Atlanta motel. Last month, a Michigan man who called himself the Motor City Mink was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison for pimping kids out via the internet - with many of his ads on Craigslist. The man, Robert Daniels, was the first to be convicted in the nation under the Adam Walsh Law (named for the kidnapped and murdered child of America's Most Wanted host John Walsh), which requires federal penalties for running a child exploitation enterprise.

The fault isn't with Craigslist itself - the company has begun requiring all posters of ads that fall under the "erotic" category, and the company reached an agreement in November with the attorneys general of forty states to add a fee system for the erotic posters, including a valid credit card that could be tracked by law enforcement. Craigslist is also reportedly suing a group of software and Internet companies that allowed posters to circumvent its defenses and post illegal ads.

It's also not always adults doing the deed. Between 2005 and 2008, seventy teens were caught selling themselves on Craigslist.

Why the numbers are back up is anyone's guess, but I wonder how much of this is economic. Craiglist is free, which means people are turning to it more than ever now that the economy is bad. People are desperate, pushing a parent, a family friend, whoever, who might not have acted on an urge to sell a child's ~~soul~~ body for money are no longer held back by traditional mores. It's the same reason adults turn to it in hard times . . . and as a job, it's fairly recession proof.

As the economic picture gets bleaker, I can only wonder how many more horribly sad and depressing stories we're going to hear about things adults are doing to kids. If there is any good news out there it's this: courts are finally getting the picture that teen prostitutes need help not criminalization.

Image: American

Save Your Money: Don't Get Mom a Card

JeanneSager — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:27:00 GMT

I was hardly surprised to hear spending for Mother's Day is expected to be way down this year. Hellllo, it's called a recession.

But I've got to tell you, news that eighty-five percent of Americans will still be cashing in on a card leaves me kind of disappointed in humanity. Because if you REALLY want to save money on us this year, you can skip the card.

The folks at Hallmark and Bouton's have done a bang up job of convincing us we need them (hence the derisively-dubbed "Hallmark holidays"), but do any of us NEED an extra piece of cardstock to sit in that growing pile of mail on the corner table?

But it's the sentiment inside, you say? Yup, a card tells someone you cared enough to go out and spend $4.99 on a picture of two polar bears kissing. The polar bears are cute, but the real "sentiment" comes through in the fact that someone sent one, right? So why not just send an old-fashioned letter, on plain white ruled paper? You don't have to say much. Maybe a "Hey ma, I love you," or a "Thanks for being my mommy." If you want to wax poetic, be my guest, but you won't have to loop your letters around a big goofy sparkly heart on plain old notebook paper.

Since I already sound like the grinch who stole Mother's Day, I'm not exactly crying over the news that electronics purchases for Mom are expected to dip by twenty-nine percent this year. Nothing says "I love you" like getting Mom a cell phone . . . which she now has to pay for montly. And clothing purchases are dipping by twelve percent? Goodie, no more freaky appliqued sweaters that little kids insist Mom is going to love.

Sure, it's the thought that counts, but I've got tell you, I'm still a sucker for the little handprints and the hand-picked daisies. I'd rather they save their money for something they want - and that he save it for groceries.

What about you, Moms, think Mother's Day should still be getting top billing this year?

Image: NBC

Economy Fix: Give 'Em All Jobs in Daycare

JeanneSager — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:27:00 GMT

No good could come of this phone call - my babysitter was hacking up a lung, and I knew I couldn't call out sick from work. Who knew I'd find the silver lining in finding an unemployed neighbor?

Yes, I called my neighbor, who is a grandmother and fantastic with kids - mine especially. She was happy to lend a hand and get a little cash; I was happy to have someone I trusted watching my kid.

After doing a little informal poll, I'm finding a lot of parents have started turning to the unemployed for extra childcare options. Let's face it - these are generally responsible folks, and they're home . . . all day. They might be hitting up the work force development office and making the job fair circuit, but otherwise, they have a lot of extra time on their hands. I've had more than one unemployed acquaintance tell me the frustration of the day isn't just money but the lack of productivity. They WANT to be doing something - and babysitting may not be glamorous, but it's a job.

So what can you do? Instead of calling the teenager next door to watch their kids after school so you can go out and run some errands; call the neighbor kid's mom to watch them during the same time period . . . and spot her a fistfull of dollars. When your sister calls out sick, don't call your boss and call out yourself - find a friend who could use the boost.

It isn't the big economy fix we're all hoping for, but for parents who are always searching for the next daycare fix - it could mean a world of difference.

Image: HomeCareWorld

Parents are People Too - They Date

JeanneSager — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:52:00 GMT

There are two words that even today I can't stand to be used in the same sentence. OK, maybe three. "My parents" and "sex."

No, I'm not a prude. Yes, that's just . . . ewww. So the new dating site for single parents might have a goofy name, but it's kind of, well, true. Parents "R" People.

Well, duh.

But has anyone told their kids yet? Because parents plus dating is often pretty icky as far as kids are concerned.

Started up by a single mom and licensed clinical social worker, the site is recession-proof because it's free. "I am a single mom and finances are often tough for us...working and supporting kids," explains founder Stacy Schwed. "It is also tough for single dads who are working, and running their household while also paying child support."

Technically the site is a social media setting for parents - any parents, including married ones. But change your marital status to "looking," and it becomes a place for single parents to possibly get rid of the "single" part of the title. For a lot of single parents, the biggest fear of stepping out there again is the second part of their title - "parent." But as Schwed points out, parents are people too, and there's a guarantee someone on the other end of the DSL line gets what it's like to have kids.

"I believe everyone deserves a chance to be happy and have in their lives what they truly want...including a great relationship," Schwed says. Because parents might be single, but that doesn't mean we're dead. Not even our sex drives.

Image:

How to Find a Job in This Economy: Let Your Kid on YouTube

JeanneSager — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:47:00 GMT

Things were looking bleak for the former vice president of marketing at the Tampa Bay Lightning - until his son got involved.

Mark Gullett lost his job the Florida hockey team on Thursday. That night, his fourteen-year-old posted a heartrending video on YouTube and job offers started pouring in.

By this weekend, "Mark By Ben" had already been seen by more than thirty six hundred people, and dad Mark has a few promising leads to keep the family alive. I'll let the video speak for itself, which it does in an understated way. There's no speaking - just Ben Gullett, fourteen, holding cue cards for you to read off the story of his father's life. He bought his kid a drum set. He makes 'smores. He has a Stanley Cup ring.

Oh yeah, and thanks to "restructuring," he doesn't have a job. The younger Gullett shares all the reasons his father will make a good employee again some day, but his best quality? "Most importantly, he is my dad," Ben spells out in a series of cards.

The whole thing was Ben's idea - although he did ask his father for help and checked in to make sure it was OK to broadcast his story across the world wide web. The teen says he wanted to do it to show his dad he loved him, and his dad was sufficiently touched. I don't see how anyone watching WOULDN'T be touched. This is one of those stories that reminds you the bad economy may hurt families, but it doesn't break them.

Did this one break your heart?

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Big Retailers That Offer Big Sales for Families

JeanneSager — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:01:00 GMT

We're continuing our good economic news for families (think of that) today with a look at places families can save a buck . . . or fifty.

Children's clothing and accessories are must-haves, even when we're still wearing the pilled sweater from our high school days. So where can you go for deals on name brands that stand up to everything your kids will put them through, plus the washing machine? We've got the answers:

Barney's Kids: Don't believe us? Their sales rack will suprise. Like the little Democrat outfit up right now that will cost you $11, reduced from $45. Now that's change we can believe in. What to Know: Like most clearance racks, it's hit and miss, but ground shipping within the U.S. is cheap ($5 if you're spending under $50, keeping that Little Democrat outfit under $20) and returns are always accepted with a pre-paid shipping label.

Old Navy: The prices are already vastly lower than their major competitors (including parent company The Gap), but it's the Old Navy sales rack that's worth a real look. Think tank tops for $0.97 and jeans for under $10. What to Know: You can now combine shipping with orders from The Gap, PiperLime and Banana Republic to save money, and the Old Navy Weekly offers online coupons for in-store deals.

Children's Wear Outlet: Although its big focus is school uniforms, the outlet is home to some great prices. A B.T. Kids set of jeans, tee and sunglasses for a little girl is $12; a newborn boy's set of overalls, tee and three toys is $8. What to Know: The prices are already cut rate, but a sales section of the site reduces things even more. Returns are permitted within thirty days.

Target: More of an in-store savings site than online, the discount store has a seventy-five percent off rack every day that knocks kids clothes down to almost nothing. Stock up on the sizes your kids have yet to grow into, because a lot of seasonal ware covers these shelves. What to Know: The site often offers free shipping deals that extends to its clearance section, and returns can be made at any Target store.

Pottery Barn Kids: Another surprise for some who give the place a wide berth, PBKids has a sale section that's worth looking into for the whole family. Think sailcloth curtains in basic blue that could work just as well in a living room as the nursery. Like Barney's, the clothing is still hit and miss, but look carefully, there are finds to be found. What to Know: Click on sale, but also check out the additional seventy-five percent off section for additional savings.Final sale items (anything ending in $0.99) cannot be returned.

A big thanks to my colleague Sunny Chanel for some of these tips - check out her great shopping finds over at Droolicious!

Image: AllShadow

A Bargain A Day Guaranteed For Families

JeanneSager — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:02:00 GMT

The economy, the economy, the economy. Sorry, we're not done talking about it.

But seeing as stopping shopping for kids is all but impossible (you can still wear your high school jeans with the threadbare butt, but your three-year-old's jeans are already starting to look like he's waiting for the flood), we have some good economy news.

There are spots around the internet that offer up bargains for just a day - with limited quantities like the close-out stores but with some deep discounts. There are also the bargain a week spots, and the plain old "have great sales" spots. So let's dig in:

Green Baby Bargains: At noon eastern Monday through Friday, a new "green" baby bargain hits the site, aimed at moms, dads and kids from infant to five years old. With prices starting at fifty percent off retail, there are some great sales. The sale lasts only as long as the stock. Once they've depleted the inventory, they're done. All sales are final - there are no returns. What to Know: Every product is eco-friendly, made by eco-conscious vendors, and they ship internationally.

Mama Bargains: Not always cheap, this is a site with a lot of high-end products . . . for cheapER. Think a $750 Scandinavian Child Monarch nursery chair that recently went for $350 with free shipping.This is another site that changes its product from day to day, with relatively frequent repeats in case you missed something. Quantities are limited to three per buyer, to limit the chance that people will try to open up their own store or sell mass quanitites on eBay. What to Know: They do allow phone orders for parents who want to talk to a real person, but that will cost you a $5 handling fee. They don't ship out of the United States.

BabySteals: One more daily deal site, new sales go up at 9 a.m. MST every weekday, with weekends bringing back one of the week's "steals" on second chance Saturday and second chance Sunday. Prices are anywhere from fifty to eighty percent below retail, with a big focus on clothing for kids at rock bottom prices. What to Know: Four times a year, they have a baby shower with a whole mess of savings on products in one day. You can sign up for their daily steal e-mail alert to get tipped off.

eBay: One word - lots. Buying one outfit or one pair of jeans often won't save you much, even if you're buying used, because of the shipping costs. Buy a twenty-six piece lot of size 2T clothes, however, and you just walked off with a deal. What to Know: All the standard eBay rules apply. Check the seller's feedback, ask them questions if you have any, and read the descriptions well before bidding.

True Cuddles: The home of the week-long sale that changes, well, weekly, True Cuddles is Canadian based but ships to the United States. Sales go live on Monday morning at 9 a.m. MST and last until the inventory is exhausted. What to Know: The site also does giveaways and product reviews.

UP NEXT: Big Retailers That Offer Big Sales for Families

Brits Say Michelle Obama Cheaped Out on Gifts

JeanneSager — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:57:00 GMT

Somebody please remind the British press that the world's economy is in the dumps.

Their latest gripe about America? Michelle Obama didn't give "nice enough" gifts to the British prime ministers children. Or, to be precise, the first lady's gifts to Gordon Brown's boys were not as nice as the outfits bestowed on Sasha and Malia Obama by the prime minister's wife.

During her meeting with Sarah Brown, Mrs. Obama apparently handed over two toy models of Marine One, the Presidential helicopter, for the Brown boys, Fraser and John. Yes, toy helicopters for little boys. How dare she? (It should be noted that the Brown children are not the ones acting like prats here.)

Sarah Brown, by the way, went all out with dresses from Top Shop accompanied by matching necklaces and a series of children's books by British authors. Perfectly nice gifts, of course. But does that make them any better than some toy helicopters for little boys? My daughter would LOVE a toy helicopter.

The exact charge from the London Times was that Michelle Obama was "solipsistic" because the models of Marine One rubbed in the Browns' faces that her husband is president of the United States. Er, OK. But he is. And last time I checked, that's WHY Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Obama were exchanging pleasantries. If we're really going to put that spin on it, couldn't it be argued that a selection of British literature is a slam on the American lit the girls are used to? (Not that I'd agree, just playing devil's advocate here). Or perhaps I'm rubbing it in my southern in-laws faces that their son married a Yankee when I bring them jugs of fresh maple syrup from New York to Virginia?

Perhaps the British press could find something better to focus on than the toys given to two little British children by the first lady of the United States. Like, maybe, what their father was in town to discuss?

Image: London Times

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This Guy Says the Credit Crunch is Good For Families

JeanneSager — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:30:00 GMT

If you're one of those "there's always a silver lining" people, this story's for you.

The author of a new parenting book says the credit crunch is a GOOD thing for families.

Idle Parent author Tom Hodgkinson told the Daily Telegraph that as two hard-working parents has become the norm, family playtime has gone out the window - and with it, creativity. With the credit crunch, parents losing jobs and parents cutting back on the "extras," Hodgkinson said they have a chance to re-examine their lives and become creative again.

"If you can reduce your outgoings, you reduce your dependence on your wages, you don't need to work so hard. And you start to become creative. It happened in my own life – we had our own economic collapse at home a few years ago, and it was actually quite joyful and fun. We spent more time at home and less time working," Hodgkinson told the Telegraph.

Bless his socialist heart, I'd like to agree with him. After all, playtime IS good for kids. So is downtime. And we all know money can't buy happiness.

But economic collapse = joyful and fun? Er, no. Just no.

Spending more time at home with the kids when there is money to pay the mortgage can be quite joyful. Spending more time at home with the kids because you've lost your job and you have no idea whether you'll be able to buy milk and bread this week is not fun. It's stressful. It's disheartening. It's bad for families.

I agree parents need to step back and prioritize essentials versus wants - even in good economic times. The idea that kids need seventeen different Elmo dolls is ludicrous. That's where families should take a good, long and hard look at creativity and what playtime means for their family.

The trouble with Hodgkinson's statements is that they criticize parents not so much for material overload but for working. For getting out of the house. For taking a step forward. He's taking the argument lobbed at working mothers for years and throwing it at both parents. You work, so therefore you neglect your children's needs.

I'm sorry, maybe some families are enjoying their forced days off because it gives them more time to dream up architectural plans for their cardboard dwellings with the kids. I'm just glad to have a job.

Image: Telegraph

Family of Four's Living on $1,500 for a YEAR

JeanneSager — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:28:00 GMT

Think you're thrifty? Want to bet?

A New Hampshire family may just be the savviest bunch of savers in America right now. The family of four is eking out an existence on just $1,500 a year.

Bourne and Heather (last name removed at the family's request) adventure officially started on January 1, but they've been working toward this since July 2008, when Heather says she started "diligently using coupons," to build up a stockpile of necessities (from non-perishable foodstuffs to toiletries). With one preschooler and one toddler in their house, they think they can make it through 2009 with just $1,500 spent on groceries, household times and even personal expenses like haircuts and their health insurance copays.

They've got a few rules for themselves - including a $0 dining out budget until their December wedding anniversary, and brutal honesty in reporting their money situation. That means even if they fail, they've promise to report it. They're also vying to have at least five $0 days per month, five days when they spend zilch on the above categories.

Impossible? Maybe - and even Heather and Bourne agree.

"My purpose in blogging is to raise people's awareness about their own finances, make people think twice about how they spend their own money and to share and learn a lot along the way. That is it," Heather says on the family blog, Living on 1,500 for One Year.

They are taking the criticisms in stride, but along with their tips on saving money, commenters are dropping their own hints of how to cut costs and keep a family going. If you're serious about saving, you might already be doing most of them, but if you need a starting off point, it's worth a look.

She frequently points out throughout her posts that it wouldn't be possible without the family's stockpile - which she estimates cost at least $1,200. It's also important to note that their $1,500 is just on the three categories of groceries, household items and personal expenses. They don't talk much on the family blog about the money spent on things like their home (rent or mortgage payments), their cars (if they have one - even if there's no loan to pay off, there is gas to buy, tires, etc.) and incidentals like home heating.

Some costs you just can't avoid - and some of the biggest costs you can't anticipate (health insurance copays could be nothing from month to month, until three pediatrician visits in a row eat up their monthly allowance). Do you think your family could find enough fat to trim it down this drastically? Are they being realistic?

UPDATE: The family has removed their blog becase of threats, and asked that their last name be removed as well.

Image/Source: Fox News

What NOT to Tell Your Child After You've Been Laid Off

Jen Chaney — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:32:00 GMT

We're living in hard times. Right now -- especially with the end of the year approaching and company budgets tightening -- many moms and dads may be facing the prospect of losing their jobs. And they may be wondering, "Should I tell the kids I got laid off?"

This story from the Seattle Times offers some guidance on the subject, encouraging parents to explain to school-age children what's happened, and to do so in a way that avoids emotion and lets the children feel like they are helping to find solutions to the problem. (Read all the suggestions here.)

Of course, sometimes it's good to lighten the air around such a serious matter with a little humor. (Some call it denial. I call it therapeutic comedy.) In that spirit, and with the hope of giving anxiety-ridden parents a few laughs, I offer this complement to that piece of service journalism from the Seattle Times. Here are five things not to tell your kids after getting laid off:

5. "Before I explain why Daddy doesn't have a job anymore, I need to give you a little background information. You see, Ethan, the world is a cruel, harsh place run by complete and total idiots..."

4. "Mommy got laid off. And I have to be completely honest about why it happened: It's all Elmo's fault."

3. "Remember how I told you that if you devote yourself to an organization and work really, really hard, you'll eventually be recognized for your achievements? Yeah, um, not so much."

2. "So the bottom line is that Daddy is going to have a lot more free time on his hands, which will be awesome. Because that means Daddy can pick out your clothes every morning, and sit next to you every time you go to the movies with that boy you like, and constantly suggest new people for you to friend on Facebook. It's going to be great."

1. "I'm not saying that Christmas is canceled, per se. What I am saying is that now that Mommy is unemployed, your presents will be a little ... different. You like ramen noodles, right?"

Image: mediabistro.com

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Has Christmas Started Earlier This Year?

Jen Chaney — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:02:00 GMT

I spotted it a couple of weeks ago. I was driving down one of the suburban streets in my subdivision in the purple of early evening and caught a glimpse of twinkling, multi-colored beads of light from inside a neighbor's house. Was that...? A decorated Christmas tree, more than two weeks before Thanksgiving??

Indeed it was, and that wasn't the first (arguably) premature holiday decoration I saw. Within a couple of days, I spotted evergreen wreaths hung on mahogany front doors, white strings of electric lights draped across shrubs and glowing, Colonial Williamsburg-esque candles perched on windowsills. In 2008, it seems, the Christmas spirit has arrived early.

Sure, Santas and stocking always makes ludicrously early appearances in shopping malls and department store ads -- usually, sometime right after back-to-school sales end. But most families wait until the weekend of Thanksgiving, at the soonest, to break out the Christmas lights, the tree and the tinsel. This year, despite a wretched economy that may make it even more challenging to find gifts for our sons and daughter, it seems like people are ready to deck the halls ASAP. I have to wonder why.

One could argue that such behavior is a form of denial. Fire up the spiked egg nogg, and suddenly the concerns about the global economy disappear on a sweet, rum buzz. But I like to think that some people are in a holiday mood for another reason, one that, weirdly enough, was summed up in a commercial for, of all things, Bass Pro Shops. The sporting good stores are putting on extra-massive Christmas displays this year, undoubtedly in an attempt to bring consumers through their doors. Still, the slogan of that ad campaign -- "Time passes. Hold on to Christmas." -- explains what *may* be going on with all these premature revelers.

With so many challenges facing us as a country, perhaps we are turning to the things that give us most comfort: Goofy songs about red-nosed reindeers, movies about kids who want Santa to bring them BB guns and spending time with family. And perhaps for many, there is also a little thing called hope, courtesy of Obama's win, that is making them crave more celebratory candy canes in November. In any case, there is an undeniable sense that we are on the precipice of changes, both potentially good (a new administration) and bad (a recession). And when we face change, we grasp on to the things we know.

Since many of us may not be able to spend as much as we used to on holiday gifts this year, part of me can't help but think of that line from the beloved Dr. Seuss special. Is it possible that 2008 is the year that all of us Grinches finally realize that Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

You tell me. Is anyone else noticing that it began to look a lot like Christmas a lot earlier this year?

Image: allthingschristmas.com

Childcare Relationships and Bickering Parents Affect Kids' Stress Hormones

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:30:00 GMT

It seems self-evident that kids with poor childcare relationships or parents who frequently fight are more stressed than other kids. But now two new studies have established this common sense theory from a biological standpoint, by monitoring the levels of cortisol (the human stress hormone) in preschoolers and 6-year-olds. As parents across the country struggle to afford high quality childcare and to maintain a stable home environment, these studies are unfortunately quite applicable to these trying economic times.

In most people, cortisol levels decrease throughout the day. But for many children in full-time daycare, the stress hormone increases as the day progresses. Researchers found that class size clearly affected children’s moods, with preschoolers in classes of 10 or fewer children producing less cortisol than those in classrooms with closer to 20 other kids.

Children with poor relationships with their daycare providers became more stressed after one-on-one interactions with the teacher, while clingier kids had higher overall cortisol increases throughout the day.

Similarly, a study of 6-year-olds with bickering parents found that those who were very involved in and distressed about the fights produced more cortisol than other 6-year-olds. Since high levels of cortisol have been linked to health and psychological problems, this finding offers a biological understanding of why kids who get very upset by their parents’ arguments are more likely to have psychological problems later. (Whether higher levels of cortisol are a cause or an effect of psychological disorders is not clear.)

The study’s authors hope that understanding the biological basis of stress in young children will change the way kids in these common problematic situations are treated. For instance, monitoring kids’ levels of cortisol could help indicate whether a given intervention is working to relieve stress or not.

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Photo: pregnancy-depression-help.com

Child Hunger in the U.S. Doubled in 2007

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Agriculture Department has reported that 700,000 American children went hungry in 2007, up from 430,000 in 2006. Since this sharp increase in the number of kids who are not getting enough to eat came before the economic crisis, it’s very likely that 2008 will be an even more difficult year for children in lower income families.

As if the president-elect didn’t have enough world crises to combat, these new figures make Obama’s promise to expand food aid and end childhood hunger by 2015 even more important—and more daunting.

Among those families suffering from “food insecurity” (i.e., the inability to afford or get assistance for enough food to maintain a healthy lifestyle), the hardest hit were—in descending order—those living below the poverty line, single mothers, African American households, and Latino households.

Overall, 12.2 percent of Americans didn't have enough to eat in 2007.

Photo: Total Broadcasting

When the Times Call for Frugality, What Goes? What Stays?

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:00:00 GMT

The Sunday Chicago Tribune reported responses from readers on what they would and wouldn't be willing to give up in tough economic times. (Interesting that they assume everyone can pick and choose, isn't it?)

It seems people are ready to cut Starbucks loose and the occasional automobile. I sympathized with a woman who couldn't bring herself to imagine giving up buying books. I have the same problem. I know the library is free, but I like to hold onto my books and squirrel them away for future reference. (Like the woman in the paper, I'm an academic too, which makes me feel entitled to own my books.)

One woman wouldn't give up her red wine. I found that interesting as my partner and I often congratulate ourselves on the money we save by being virtual non-drinkers. You go to library and drink your wine. I'll enjoy my own book and a cup of tea.

What would you give up? What wouldn't you? Do you have the choice, one way or another?

A Third of Parents No Longer Saving for College

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:30:00 GMT

One of the more alarming aspects of the financial crisis is its potential effect on the next generation of American workers. If young people can’t afford quality higher education, what will happen to the educated workforce? A new survey has found that more than a third of American parents have substantially decreased their college savings or have stopped saving for college altogether.

According to the Boston Globe, parents’ expectations about how to pay for college given these reduced investments breaks down like this: “55 percent of parents will be expecting their children to work part time while in college, 44 percent plan to have their children live at home while commuting to college, 37 percent will be encouraging their children to attend a less expensive public school and 23 percent will ask their children to graduate in fewer semesters.” Although these are all reasonable options, they sound like a recipe for some pretty stressed families.

Also, 35 percent of parents now expect to retire later than they had previously planned in order to pay for college. This is a scary plan, not only because working into one's 70s is hardly part of the American dream, but also because it means banking on two unknowns: that one's health and one's job will be both in stellar shape many years from now.

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Photo: mspmag.com

Explaining Financial Troubles to the Kids

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:57:00 GMT

With disappearing 401(k) savings, exorbitant gas prices, and piling up medical bills, many families are being forced to make serious changes in their spending patterns. This can be a shock for teens and preteens who grew up in the 90s, during affluent times in which the prevailing wisdom in the U.S. extolled making your kids happy. Average teen allowances nationwide are upwards of $100 a month, and many high schoolers have credit cards.

But last week, a survey found that teen spending had dropped by 27 percent. Considering that much of this spending money comes from allowances or gifts, we can be pretty sure the kids are not being thrifty out of choice.

As parents struggle to explain the crisis to teens freaked out by dire newspaper headlines and cutbacks in family expenditures, parents may see their kids as spoiled or bratty, while teens may see their parents as unreasonable or over-anxious. One mother interviewed by the New York Times started showing her confused and upset teenagers the monthly bills. Another father threatened to charge his kids’ friends rent for sleeping over.

Some families have found the crisis to be a good opportunity to become close with their children in new ways. Asking your kids to brainstorm about ways to cut back on family spending makes them feel valued and useful, and helps prepare them to find their own way in less than optimum economic times. Some parents have stopped hiring lawn cutters and housecleaners, choosing instead to pay their kids (far less) for the same services.

How have other parents changed your families’ spending patterns? Have you talked to your kids about the changes?

Photo: New York Times