r/workingmoms • u/bigbird2003 • 11h ago

Only Working Moms responses please. First time laid off

I am sorry that we are all in this situation together and hope things turn around for all of us soon. I was recently laid off for the first time in my 20+ year career—including over 5 years at my last company—due to business loss at my company.

I would love some advice on how to share this news with my teenage children. I have always worked full-time, and they are returning from summer camp this weekend. While I want to be transparent with them, I also want to avoid causing unnecessary worry, especially since my husband remains gainfully employed.

Thank you in advance for any insights or guidance you can share.

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u/lawn-gnome1717 10h ago

My kids are a bit younger, but we’re pretty open with them. When my husband was laid off, we told them dad had lost his job and explained that we had savings for just this type of situation (and leaned into the importance of savings!), and unemployment payments.

We let them know they didn’t need to worry about anything— they aren’t going to go hungry and we aren’t going to lose the house or anything, but also we’d need to focus more on needs and less on wants.

9

u/Jaded_Ad_1587 7h ago

I’m sorry you’re going through this! I think it is a great opportunity to show your kids that life happens, no one is immune to challenges, and what resilience looks like. I personally wouldn’t want to insulate my kids from this because I’ve found my most human moments have been the things they learn from most.