Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Living Well with the Carrie Connection

When asked what is the most important aspect of our lives, the most popular answer for both male and female is, "my family."

The second most common answer is, "my job or work."

It is interesting the two most important aspects of our lives are often the two arenas that are in the most direct conflict.

Much research has been conducted on how work affects family life. One consistent finding is that anxiety, stress and fatigue experienced at work is linked to more negative marital interactions, parent-child interactions, and personal well-being.

Men and women tend to cope with their work stress in different ways when they come home.

Men tend to find outlets to withdraw from interactions at home by watching television, reading the paper or just making themselves unavailable for a certain period of time.

Women on the other hand, tend to stay involved in family activities.

Research suggests we are not very good at separating work and family. There are several ways to ease the transition from work to family life.

Give yourself some down time between the shift from being on the job to being home. As little as 15 minutes helps. You could spend this time reading a book, listening to music or sitting on the couch and visiting with the children.

Change from work clothes to home clothes.

Discuss with your spouse about ways to give you both time to unwind while still giving the children the attention they need.

Some parents take a 15-minute shift with the children while the other has some alone time.

Single parents have to be a little more creative to work out this alone time. Some single parents have worked out ways to share meals and time out with other single parents, relatives or friends.

SAVINGS AND CHILDREN

A child won't learn to save money unless he or she first has a chance to spend money.

That may sound contrary to common sense, but it's not. The desire and self-discipline required to save money must come from within.

Parents can help their children develop that desire and discipline by letting them have an allowance or regular allotments of money. Parents also help their children by setting good examples when it comes to saving and spending wisely.

Eventually, young spenders will want something special, something they can afford but only if they use their allowance properly. At that point, they are ready and willing to learn about planning and saving.

For more information on teaching your children about money management contact the Nevada County Cooperative Extension office and ask for the publication Children and Money.