Prometheus 6

Layoff burden takes toll on families
BY CINDY KRISCHER GOODMAN

When Millie Puldon learned her job would be eliminated, she agonized over how to tell her three kids. ''I didn't want to worry them,'' recalls Puldon, a single mother. When she did tell them, her 9-year-old daughter broke into tears and asked, "Are we poor now?''

Job loss is hitting employees of all kinds, and it's delivering a profound blow to family stability. The latest U.S. Labor Department report says employers cut payrolls by 62,000 in June -- the sixth straight month of nationwide job losses. In South Florida, more than 140,377 people are out of work.

Job loss ranks in the top 10 most traumatic things that can happen to a person. It can affect relationships with kids, spouses and elderly parents and lead to the ultimate upheaval of relocation.

''Kids will feel the anxiety and tension that pervades your home, and they'll hear adults whispering in worried tones,'' says Damian Birkel, founder of Professionals In Transition, a support group for the newly jobless.

Parents often struggle with how to explain to their children why Dad or Mom is home every day in pj's and seems frustrated. When Birkel lost his job as a retail buyer, he went from shock to depression.

He took a direct approach in explaining the situation to his two children. "I reassured them that things will be OK, but that there will be adjustments that need to be made to the budget.''

As his job search dragged on, Birkel -- now a career counselor with Right Management -- developed a family action plan. ''I put my daughter in charge of turning off the lights,'' he said. "She felt like she was doing something to help our situation."