Photo: Courtesy of Tyler Wade
When I was laid off, I told my son.
It had been a week since it happened?my wife and I needed time to process it first before we could begin to explain it to Ben.
That night, like usual, we read his nighttime stories, then I sat down on the edge of his Paw Patrol bedspread, took a deep breath and just told him.
?Daddy, doesn?t have a job anymore.?
?Why"? he asked.
?I?m not sure, buddy. It happens. We?re going to be OK. I?ll pick you up from school.?
?OK,? he said, seemingly satisfied. Then he rolled over and went to sleep.
Even though my son is young, he needed to know that I had lost my job so he could make sense of what was happening. If his mom?s eyes watered or if Dad got mad, hopefully he could tie it all back to this?or we could talk to him so he could understand why Mommy and Daddy were feeling this way. The day after I told Ben, I picked him up from school?much to his teacher’s surprise.
“Oh, Ben, your daddy’s here!” He ran to me and gave me a big hug.
“Why is Daddy picking you up, Ben"” I asked.
Ben looked at his teacher and with ease pronounced, “My daddy lost his job.”
“Oh, well…” The teacher looked stunned, and laughed.
Ben and I acted casual about the whole affair. He knew all he needed to know. His understanding wasn’t much, but he carried on happily. Whenever I looked at him smiling, it was a reminder to push through the rough months ahead.
My wife...