Many parents fail to realize that just as they struggle with issues related to living, their children face many areas of stress in their lives as well. The economy, crises, divorce, etc. can be overwhelming for young people, and in these times children need the kindness and consideration of parents and extended family members. Consider some ways in which the stress of children can be alleviated and how valuable coping lessons can be learned.
Learn to communicate with your children
First, develop the art of listening. Your greatest ability as a parent revolves around your paying attention to your children. Positive adult interaction does more to help a child cope with pressure than any other single thing you can do. Listening does not mean you have all the answers, but that you are interested and willing to take the time to interact. Children are faced with many issues today ranging from peer pressure to maturation, and they need a sounding board to figure things out. You certainly do not want them learning those lessons from their peers.
As a parent you also need to communicate with your children. Teenagers resent being lectured and it is usually too late to learn how to communicate with them after they have entered those trying years from 13-20. Your relationship must be started when they are young. Talking with them and listening to them will be of great value when the teen years come.
Teach your children to work and make their own way
The danger we face in the uncertain economy is that so many have never faced hardship, many do not know how to work, and they do not know how to live without credit. Teaching your children to hold a job and save for what they want and need will put them in good stead to survive in hard times. Most young people are not aware of the differences between wants and needs. They have no concept of making decisions between the two.
Every young person should be able to cook, clean, do laundry, and take care of himself or herself. Young people are ill-prepared for life these days because they have never had to do anything of substance. The skills learned by having a job, doing chores, etc. are basic to being able to function in the real world. Dealing with problems and people are learned skills and invaluable.
Young people need to learn what is most important
The past decades were times of undue emphasis on money. Parents were so busy making all they could to buy all the material things and they abandoned the importance of family and home. Children raised themselves and we see the loss of parental training and guidance on a daily basis. Economic corrections, while cyclical, are also times to re-evaluate the important things. In ten or twenty years what will be more important to you? How you raised your children and the character you build into them will not only influence them, but will influence generations. If parents would spend their time working with just their own children, training and teaching them to be caring, loving human beings, they would greatly influence thousands of lives within a couple of generations. In the Old Testament, God said of Abraham, "For I know him, that he will influence his generations after him." What greater heritage can you have as a parent than to see your children grow up to be great citizens and follow your own footsteps. Now is a great time to teach by example, and show them rather than just tell them.
Teach young people the importance of their heritage
Today's younger generation does not have a sense of who they are. They need to know their family history and where they came from so they can really understand what history is all about. Take the time to share with them what you know about your ancestry. Connect them with the older members of your family so they can learn first-hand what life was like during the depression and how their grandparents survived.
They need a sense of connection and realization that things were not always like they are now. Getting them to think about a world without cell phones and computers will help them appreciate the advantages they enjoy. That appreciation will change their lives.
Conclusion
Now is a great time to spend with your children, with many teachable moments relating to what is happening in the world. Giving your children a sense of who they are and where they came from is of great importance. Communicating with them will lay the groundwork for an ongoing relationship and teaching them the importance of work will put them on the road to a self-sufficient future. Helping them to determine what is important will prevent them from becoming trapped by materialism and show them what is truly valuable in life.