In Times of Economic Crisis, It’s Important To Keep The Arts In Our Children’s Lives

Last week a seven year old came up to me and said, “My Mommy says I can�t take tap anymore because she doesn’t have any money…” I really didn’t know how to respond so I suggested that if she had to pick just one class a week, to pick her favorite one. The child shared that she liked all three of her classes and three teachers equally and that she couldn’t choose between them. She continued, “My Daddy might lose his job too.” Scenarios like this one are common during these times of economic stress. Sometimes our children may internally feel guilty or inadequate in their attempts to help correct or improve the family’s financial situation. The economy and how it has affected our households can’t help but slightly rob our children of the carefree, life-is-beautiful atmosphere that we remember of our own childhood. As a start, as a family, we can cut corners by living a ‘greener’ lifestyle starting with simple recycling and conserving. We can teach our children the importance of respecting our planet’s resources, making them feel partially responsible for the world they will eventually leave behind. But even during the worse of times, it should be our goal as parents to keep their lives as balanced as possible with family, community and strong faith along with adequate emotional and physical outlets.

To help create a child’s emotional well-being, it’s important to schedule ‘down time’ away from household chores, homework, study and the computer. Time spent playing sports or partaking in The Arts helps to feed ones’ natural desire to release built-up emotional stress, inhibitions, fears and anxieties. The endorphins that are released during physical activity allow us to emotionally and physically move beyond the most horrible moment, refreshing our psyche and allowing us to muddle through the next obstacle with a renewed strength. We’re all going to need a lot more outlets to get through the troubling months that are seemingly ahead of us. We need to start by helping to create a happier home beginning with well-balanced children. Like eating a ‘5-food-group-balanced-meal’ that our parents stressed when we were kids, maybe we can use sports and The Arts as veggies on our children’s plate this year!