We all have seen and heard the news: the economy is in bad shape. While it does show signs of looking up, money is still tight. Unfortunately, kids have begun to feel the pinch of the economy. It’s no longer feasible to go out to eat as often or to see a movie every weekend. It can be stressful! Here are some tips to keep in mind when talking to kids about the economy:

1. Don’t be too dramatic. Avoid telling them that you don’t have enough money to pay the mortgage or the car payment. These types of statements will only cause anxiety.
2. But be honest. If you lost your job, tell them. If you are staying home everyday, worried about finding a new job, they are going to feel that stress. Be honest about the situation.
3. Emphasize the positives. Make sure that your children know they will always have a plate of food on the table and a warm bed to sleep in. It’s easy to dwell on the negatives, but make sure you stay optimistic. At the end of the day, you’re still the one person that they look up to the most.
4. Listen! Sometimes it may seem like our kids’ problems pale in comparison to our financial issues, but we need to take time out to listen to them. Even if they don’t have a plasma screen or the latest gaming system, knowing that they have parents to come home to who will listen to and support them is the most important thing.

Our kids and our environment are paying a heavy price because of our arrogance. When do we step back and realize that thinking only about the present is not in our best interest? I was told a long time ago: A decision made in haste – you will have to look back on. But a decision made with thought is a decision that stands the test of time. Take a look around and it’s easy to see that we have been so busy trying to maintain the here-and-now that we have forgotten to look ahead. Only recently has everyone jumped on the “green” bandwagon. If everyone had had this eco-friendly attitude even 50 years ago and passed it on to their children and grandchildren, can you imagine what our earth would be like today? No acid rain. No global warming. No endangered species. I know it’s never going to be a perfect world, but it’s never too late to start thinking about your and your child’s future. Even if you just reuse that water bottle everyday or use energy efficient appliances, small efforts contribute to greater results – and are better than no effort at all. If we can leave the earth a better place than we found it, what better legacy could we give to our children than a healthy planet?

Nowadays, the media is so inundated with the antics of professional athletes and rock stars. Kids grow up thinking that they need to make big bucks and be better than everyone else in order to consider themselves successful. We need to let them know  that’s not the case! A couple of years ago, I had the honor of meeting a line worker who worked on a school bus assembly line. His job was to tighten bolt numbers 37-41. It was a menial job, but he took great pride in the work that he did. “Those bolts are the best on the bus because I tightened them,” he said to me, beaming. He then went on to explain the sense of pride he felt every time he saw a bus pass by. In his mind, the kids were safe on those busses because he made it a priority to do the best job he could.
My point in telling you this story is this: Being successful means doing your best, no matter what it is that you do. The line worker might not have had the most glamorous job, but it was important, all the same. I imagine many kids got to school safely because of the dedication that he put into his work. So teach your kids to take pride in their work, whatever they do Let them know that it doesn’t matter if they become a bricklayer or a doctor, a sandwich maker or an airline pilot… as long as they put forth their best effort in whatever they do, they will be successful!

It’s no coincidence that every character in “Duckey and the Ocean Protectors” has their own very special talent. Polly Puffer Fish has the ability to produce strong bubbles that keep human litter at bay. Nicky Nautilus has a roomy and speedy shell that can carry her friends to their destination quickly and safely. And Denise Dolphin can create whirlpools that bind enemies together. But just as each of these characters has something at which they excel at, so, too, do each of us! However, it’s up to you, parents, to help your kids discover their own strengths! No one is going to be great at everything, but finding that one special talent can really give him or her a boost in confidence. So don’t be afraid to explore different things! Some kids excel at sports, while others would rather play a musical instrument. Some prefer painting, while some love to dance. Whatever it is, let them explore it and find out if this interest is where their “hidden” strength lies. Just like Polly, Nicky and Denise have special talents, our kids do too, and it’s up to us to make sure that they recognize them!

These days, it seems a lot of parents choose to park their kids in front of the TV before bedtime instead of reading them a book. What a shame. I remember my parents reading to me every night. It fueled my love for books and reading, and even inspired me to write my own children’s book. There are so many glaring positives about reading before bedtime that it’s hard to see why anyone would choose not to. Reading is a great way to spend one-on-one time with your child, it gets them interested in books at an early age, and helps to improve their literacy and language skills. According to the U.S. Department of Education, children who are read to on a regular basis are more inclined to pick up a book to read by themselves and are more likely to count past 20, write their own name, and recognize letters by the age of five. What an incredible head start reading gives to children! So instead of flipping on the TV tonight, curl up with your child and a good book and ignite their passion for reading. Who knows? They might grow up to be an author like me!

Have you ever caught yourself doing something that your father does? Or been told that you act just like your mother? Whether we are conscious of it or not, most of us pick up on our parents’ habits and behaviors and begin to incorporate them into our own day-to-day routines. In “Duckey and the Ocean Protectors”, I encourage kids to seek out positive role models, and what better role models than our parents? Because kids are so impressionable, it is important to be mindful of the things we do and the choices we make, especially when it comes to the environment. Start recycling. Carpool to work or to the next soccer game. Turn off the lights when you leave the room. Turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth. Being environmentally conservative is easier than ever and is so important if we want our children’s children to live in the same beautiful world that we do. Implementing these small behaviors may seem insignificant, but becoming a “green” role model can set our children up for a lifetime of eco-friendly habits.

As a kid, I would visit my grandparents’ farm nearly every weekend. Here is where I learned one of life’s most important lessons: hard work builds character and integrity. Today, it seems, we have forgotten some of these fundamental truths about life. Our society today casts our kids onto a hamster’s wheel. They are inundated with media messages and technology that move so fast you need a speed boat to keep up. So how do we engage our kids in conversations about hard work, dedication, loyalty, and the privilege of freedom? It’s our responsibility to teach them. Yes, our responsibility. We have to talk with our kids, share our own experiences of how we grew up and how our parents did. Tell the story of how you delivered 25 newspapers in an hour on your paper route for three years in order to buy a new bike (to deliver more papers). Remind them that not only did their grandmother not have a flat screen, she had no screen, and listened to the news on a radio while she knit socks and hats and sweaters to clothe her family. As adults, we always talk about how we want to leave our planet in the best shape possible for our kids, and their kids. But what kind of message do we want to leave in our children’s souls? My grandmother, who was part Cherokee, always said to me, “When you visit the forest, listen to the trees. When you go outside, listen to the wind. When you go to the seashore, listen to the water and waves. They are telling you a story. All you have to do is open your mind and take the time to listen.” These are the things we must teach our children.

Duckey and his pals are calling on you to help write his next book! Entries are already pouring in for the Youth Eco-Essay Contest so put your thinking cap on, sit down to your keyboard (or a clean sheet of paper), and start writing. We want to know why you think it’s important to save the planet. Then, the second part of the contest challenges you to create your own Ocean Protector – and the winning entry will be in the next book and you’ll be a contributing writer! You’ll need to check out all the details on the website and the deadline for submissions is May 31, 2009. Be creative. Let your imagination run wild! We won’t even say “the sky’s the limit here” because there is no limit to what you can do – and we can do as a team! Believe it! Achieve it!