How Job Loss Can Make You a Better Parent

When the economy falters and money gets tight, one of the many things we worry about is becoming less of a father or mother. Job loss only exacerbates the fears. That’s because most of us equate a good portion of parenting with providing. But a recent study published in the Journal of Political Economy found that children’s health actually improves during economic downturns.

But before digging into the details of that study, I want you to meet my neighbor, Rick. He’s in his 40s and out of work for the first time in his life. Since he has four kids and a big house, he’s pretty distressed about it. But he’s been staying busy by helping his eldest son fix up his first car and coaching the others in soccer. He even set up two big nets in his front yard.

That study I mentioned was conducted in Colombia, South America — a long way from Rick’s home in suburbia. Researchers there matched coffee prices over a 36-year period with various indicators of child health. They discovered that when the coffee market was booming, illness and mortality rates increased among kids. Conversely, when the market tanked, child health dramatically improved.

You don’t need a Ph.D. to figure out what’s happening here. In boom times, Mom and Dad are working so much that their time and attentiveness are compromised. But in tough years, the situation is reversed. Although parents may have less money, they have more of life’s most previous resource: time. And as a result, their priorities shift.

If you’re thinking that the situation in Colombia is in no way applicable to America, you’re wrong. Other studies have found the same correlation in the U.S. and other well-off nations.

So when I look out my window and see Rick helping his son change the oil in his car or dribbling a soccer ball, I think that no matter how stressful and humbling being out-of-work may be, the memories and bonds he’s creating now with his boys will make him (and them) far richer in the long run.

As we continue to muddle through whatever we’re in, try to keep that in mind if you’re an out-of-work parent. Although you may not be smiling, your kids most certainly are. In fact, they might even be healthier for it.

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