Dear Dr. Laura,
Listening to a recent podcast, I heard a call from a woman whose husband lost his job and expected her to go back to work. This prompted me to remember how amazingly my husband handled a similar situation. In 2000, we had a 2-year-old, and a 10-month-old when he lost his job. He came home and told me, "Don't worry, we will have a roof over our head, food on the table, running water and electricity." I never worried.
I watched my husband get up every morning and do day labor. He would work with various contractors doing whatever it took to earn money, while continuing to look for full-time employment. People would ask him, "Why don't you have your wife go back to work?" His response was always, "Why? She didn't lose her job, my daughters still need their mom." He refused to collect unemployment, as he felt he was capable of working. He was out of work for 8 weeks, but kept his wonderful sense of humor, and never let us see his stress or frustration.
Thought you'd enjoy this quick story,
Christie
