We are living in unprecedented times where financial crisis is felt all around us. There are very few families who are not feeling the pain of economic change or the fear of pending devastation. Perhaps the only calm we know for certain is found in knowing we are journeying together in uncertainty — and the knowledge that this season shall pass and lead us into another era.
In the meantime, there are real effects of our present economic climate felt in our everyday ordinary encounters. Families are making tough choices and are faced with difficult decisions. In the presence of this economic crossroad, our culture is also embarking on a powerful financial paradigm shift. As financial resources are stretched, our priorities are measured more boldly than when money felt more abundant and plentiful.
If honored well, this examination of our values and priorities exhibited by our financial choices have the potential to be the greatest gift received in the face of challenge and crisis. However, it requires we become painfully honest with our relationship with money and possessions and seek to be challenged in ways that will undoubtedly bring discomfort and change prior to freedom and riches found beyond the almighty dollar.
I have known several conversations with young people this week that have deeply touched my heart. There is an increasing experience of young people who are missing their parents and are aching for more time together and a greater sense of connection. Tearfully, adolescents are feeling the absence of their parents as they work harder and harder to maintain their family’s financial needs and standard of living.
For decades, the cost of living has continued to steadily climb. For years, it has been necessary for many families to know the experience of dual-income earners. Given the intensity of current economic crisis, this is even more so a reality for today’s families. However, there is a vast difference between the efforts to survive within our means and the dangerous cost of swimming in overindulgence.
As I have spoken with young people, I have heard tender stories of family members making significant sacrifices to afford necessities for their lives. There is understanding and compassion between family members and a shared sense of sadness for working hard together to live well.
If you are struggling to pay for your home, head to your neighborhood’s local bank and discuss your options. Rather than pay full price for personal items and household needs, explore the consignment stores available in our community such as Alligator Purse, Cruzin Kidz and Saint Vincent De Paul.
Come together as a family and talk about the ways this time is feeling. Encourage your children to share their heart and their needs. Allow this season to teach and to change. Be challenged. Pause amidst a culture of consumerism, and welcome this opportunity to redefine our worth by the content of our character and the virtue of our legacy rather than the possessions we’ve acquired. Perhaps that is the greatest stimulus our families will know.
Shannon Renae West is a licensed family therapist working with adolescents and young adults in Bothell. For information, visit www.ShannonRenae.com.
