Introduction

As a parent, have you ever considered the benefits of taking your kids on the same journey as yourself? It’s well-known that children tend to inherit certain behaviors, characteristics, and habits from their parents. This is why in a functional family, parents are often looked upon as role models and guides for their kids until they’re ready to take flight on their own. What if you could take this idea to the next level and actively involve your kids in your journey? In this blog post, we’ll explore sharing life experiences with your children and the invaluable life lessons that can be gained. Whether through travel, career changes, or personal growth, there’s much to be gained when parents and children embark on the same journey together.

Confess kids about the job situation.

As parents, we want to shield our children from the harsh realities of the world, but sometimes, having an honest conversation with them is important. My wife and I did that when we sat down with our 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son to tell them about our job situation.

After going for a short walk, my wife and I decided it was time to let our kids know that our jobs were ending soon. We asked our children to have a seat, and then we explained the situation to them. Our daughter, who reads a lot of books, quickly understood the impact of what it means to have no job. Her face turned pale, as though she had just been fired from her job. Later, she mentioned a scary scene she had read in a book (Crenshaw where a family had to live in a minivan after a job loss.

Meanwhile, our son, who is eight years old, asked a more practical question: “What are we going to eat for dinner?” My wife and I looked at each other with blank expressions, unsure how to answer his question.

We had anticipated some sympathy or emotional response from our children, like in the movie “Despicable me.” Still, it was a unique and fulfilling experience to have our entire family come together to support each other during this difficult time. While talking to children about financial hardships is difficult, being honest and transparent with them is important. In doing so, we can teach them valuable life lessons about resilience and the importance of sticking together as a family.

I skipped our son’s birthday party to cut down on expenses.

As we were having a casual discussion at the dinner table, our son reminded us that his birthday was coming up in a few days. He excitedly gave us a list of things he wanted and friends he wanted to invite to his party. However, we had to remind him that we were currently in cost-cutting mode. We explained that, just like companies downsize their projects and eliminate positions, we had to eliminate his birthday party and its expenses.

Using the term “eliminated” to describe canceling our son’s birthday party may sound funny, but it deeply hurts inside. It felt like a failure to me as a dad. However, some experiences may seem horrible in the middle of them but can turn into adventures once the experience is over. This was one of those experiences.

On the positive side, as our message was accepted by our family, our kids started to become against buying anything new more than their parents. Even if we bought small things at Walmart, they asked, “Is this necessary for now?” This made me realize that no experience is truly good or bad as long as we can learn something from it.

Scary Emotions.

Losing a job can be a scary and overwhelming experience, and it’s easy to let negative emotions take over. This was the case for me when I lost my job in the tech industry. I was busy with prior commitments for the first two weeks and only thought a little about the situation. I was confident that I would quickly find another job, given my experience.

But as time passed and I saw more layoffs in the industry, my confidence waned. I began to second-guess my situation and wondered if it would take me three to six months to find another job. My wife and I evaluated our financial situation, and while we knew we could survive for a while, the stress and uncertainty were overwhelming.

At my lowest point, I even considered unenrolling our kids from their extracurricular activities to save money. This was a clear sign that I was spiraling out of control and needed to find a better way to handle the situation.

During a moment of weakness, I decided to sign up for a food delivery app called Delivery Dudes to earn some extra income. I diligently checked the app every evening, hoping to find orders to fulfill. Unfortunately, there were no orders during regular hours because we live in a suburban area. Instead of feeling discouraged, I realized that the time I spent on the app could be better utilized by improving my skills to increase my chances of getting hired. It was a pivotal moment for me, and I’m glad I prioritized my personal and professional development over chasing temporary solutions.

Losing a job is never easy, but it’s important to stay focused and not let negative emotions take over. By evaluating your situation, creating a plan B, and using your time wisely, you can turn a challenging situation into an opportunity for growth and improvement.

Gratitude for what we have.

As soon as my partner and I secured our jobs within 30 days, I asked my kids about their emotional state during the last few days of the job search. It was their first time experiencing the ups and downs of job hunting at such a young age. To my surprise, their response exceeded my expectations and left me feeling quite pleased.

My Son’s Expression:

My Daughter’s Expression:

Conclusion.

It is fun to have much support from everyone in the family, including your kids, when times like these arise. Letting your kids know about the peaks and valleys in their parent’s life is one of the best ways to teach them about life.

The best way to prepare your kids is to let them know that you are going through hard times; most kids will understand and be willing to learn from that experience while supporting the family. It is a wonderful life lesson for them to learn at this young age which will stay with them for a very long time.