With nothing but dire financial news ruling the airwaves lately, you can be certain children have pricked up their ears. As hard times begin to hit home--and purse strings yank tighter--how much of your worries should you share with the kids? U.S. News asked David Palmiter, a Scranton, Pa., clinical psychologist expert in counseling children and families, for advice on how and when to discuss difficult topics with children--without upending their whole world. Excerpts:
Is there any hiding financial stress from kids?
People have unhealthy ways of coping when they're under stress; smokers tend to smoke more; if they drink alcohol, they tend to drink more. If as a little kid, I'm sensing these kinds of changes, I may be wondering if something is wrong. And if there's no overt discussion about it, I may be assuming it's me that's causing the problem.