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What Can I Do, My Journal for Caring and Sharing in Tough Times Summary:
  What Can I Do, My Journal for Caring and Sharing in Tough Times
Denise Daniels
Publisher:  Scholastic
Published: 2009
Pages: 21
  Family and parenting expert Denise Daniels explains how to help your child learn to cope during these tough times.
Dear Parents,
With the growing number of job losses in the workforce today, new issues are emerging for parents and children. When a job loss occurs, it undoubtedly affects the entire family. While much attention has been focused on helping adults ease their stress; until now little information has been available to help children cope. For example, children often internalize the blame for a parent’s job loss, remembering a time when they interrupted or distracted that parent from work. They also wonder how their world will be different, who will be there to take care of them. Because children often lack the verbal skills to express their emotions, you may instead notice aggressive behavior in their play. At school, a decline in grades or an inability to concentrate is common. Younger children may develop signs of regressive behavior such as bed-wetting, thumb-sucking, or clinginess. Dealing with this kind of behavior is even harder for parents who are financially stressed and emotionally drained.
Contents:
What Can I Do, My Journal for Caring and Sharing in Tough Times
     Front Cover
     This journal is the property of: Name Age Date Started Date Finished
     I can write about the changes in my family.
     I can pay attention to my feelings.
     I can share my feelings with others.
     I can write a letter to President Obama!
     I can name lots of people who care about me.
     I can think about the feelings of other people in my family.
     I can feel upset and act upset.
     I can feel angry and act angry.
     I can ask questions.
     I can list the reasons that my parents are special.
     I can help take care of myself.
     I can help make changes in my family.
     I can help people who need it.
     I can help my family during our transition time.
     I can think about what I want to be when I grow up.
     I can play!
     I can make an action plan.
     I can hope and wish and dream.
     I can just be a kid!About the Author
Denise Daniels is a noted child development authority and author whose specialty is helping children and parents deal with emotions, health and wellness. Her books have reached millions of children and parents, offering practical, simple and essential advice on how to deal with grief, loss, and family transitions, such as job loss, divorce, and death. Daniels, a Peabody Award recipient for her work on a PBS television special helping American children understand and cope with war, has traveled the world to provide emotional support to children and their families during times of crisis and natural disasters, including the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, and the terrorist attack in New York City. She is the co-founder of the National Childhood Grief Institute and has testified before Congress and advised the United Nations on issues impacting children in underdeveloped nations. Daniels is a Pediatric Oncology nurse and holds a masters degree in Pediatric Psychology and Counseling. Long a proponent of the mind/body connection, Denise also developed the innovative First Aid for Feelings health care program for children, which is widely used today in more than 200 pediatric units across the country and is part of the curriculum in pediatric residency programs in 10 major medical schools.
Guidelines For Grownups
How you can help your family cope during tough times.    1. Try to deal openly and honestly with your child about your job loss. Children are perceptive and intuitive. Attempts to protect your child by hiding the news will only add to his or her confusion. When you deliberately talk about your feelings, your children learn first-hand that verbally expressing emotions is healthy and natural.
   2. Provide your child with reassurance that although you have lost your job, in time you will find another. In the meantime, you will do your best to take care of him or her. It may also reassure your child to know that there is a place people go to get financial support and help finding another job (the unemployment office).
   3. Life is full of changes. Some are more difficult than others. Talk to your child about the changes he or she is experiencing right now. Talk about which ones are easy and which ones are hard.
   4. Encourage your child to express his or her feelings and worries by providing an environment in which your child feels comfortable and safe to share.
   5. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we are often defined by our work. Parental job loss is an opportunity to teach our children values. Talk with your child about what he or she believes to be unique and special about each member of your family, and that those things don’t change.
   6. Together as a family, develop an action plan to define the cost-saving changes during this transition period. For example, this can be as simple as deciding to stay home to have a family fun night or saving together for a family vacation.
   7. It is very important during stressful times to encourage your child to play. Play is essential to his or her development as well as an opportunity to express feelings and manage stress. Playing together as a family can also be fun!
   8. We all need hugs from time to time. Physical closeness of loved ones will provide comfort during times of uncertainty. Although you may be under stress, make an effort to maintain physical closeness with your child. This will provide the comforting reassurance a child needs during times of transition.
   9. Consider having weekly family meetings, giving each member of the family a time to share, ask questions, and stay informed. The meetings can be informal and fun while sharing a pizza! The point is to simply check in with one another and provide support and encouragement.


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