Guest Post by Garden City, New York Bankruptcy Lawyer, Frank P. Pipitone
As a new father, my 9-month-old son is teaching me lessons on a daily basis. Besides the crash course I am getting in child development, I have learned more about life, love and happiness in the last 9 months than all the previous years of my life.
In addition, I quickly came to the realization that children, even infants, are extremely perceptive and sensitive to their physical environment.
Financial struggles put a strain on your bottom line and your relationships, but more importantly, they indirectly impact your children and the effects are not always visible.
Children are a Product of their Environment
As I already learned, children of any age are almost overly perceptive. Their minds are sponges soaking up the world around them.
Children also love simplicity, routine and balance. They seem to thrive when consistency, structure and security are provided to them.
“Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids,” by Kim John Payne and Lisa Ross is an excellent book that provided me with a deep education on some of these concepts. We are attempting to follow this parenting model in our home.
So, throw some financial hardship into the family dynamic and you disrupt the innocent, simple worlds of our children. Of course it is never intentional, but it happens.
This disruption may go unnoticed at first and it may compound over time, but the immediate impact is there.
As sponges, they are soaking up all the stress and turmoil associated with debt and financial distress.
Deal with it for the Sake of your Children
Facing crushing debt, foreclosure and other financial hardship, many people will bury their heads in the sand. Many believe that if they refuse to acknowledge a problem, it will cease to exist and go away.
It is always advisable to address the issue as soon as possible and take action.
If for no other reason, do it for your children. The collateral damage cause by family financial hardship is too important to overlook.
Postscript: Many thanks to Frank Pipitone, bankruptcy lawyer and new father, for this post. The child in the picture is Frank’s son. If you are in the Garden City, New York area and are having financial problems, give Frank a call. Also, check out his bankruptcy blog by clicking here.
