By Sissy Osteen, Ph.D., CFP PowerPoint by Cindy Clampet Revised 2017 Pathways to Success Handling Work and Family--Unexpected Problems (lesson #7) When a person has a job, sometimes family problems or personal problems can interfere with work. What could come of these problems be? Answers might be: Lack of child care A sick child or a sick parent that you care for Car trouble/flat tire/ride doesn’t show up A sick spouse or being sick yourself Doctors/dentist appointments for self or children Legal troubles needing to go to court or to see a lawyer By Sissy Osteen, Ph.D., CFP PowerPoint by Cindy Clampet Revised 2017

Today you will learn: What to do when unexpected problems occur Today you will learn what to do when you have an unexpected problem You will learn that you always need a plan, then you need an alternate plan in case your first plan doesn’t work out. Call it Plan B.

Family and work responsibilities When people work, they really have two jobs. Two jobs can mean twice the problems or twice the joy. Sometimes family situations make it difficult to work. Sometimes work situations make it difficult to take care of home duties. In order to be able balance the responsibilities of both, you need to have a safety net. Work is a responsibility. Home and family are also responsibilities. When situations at either home or work make it difficult to balance both, you need to have a safety net to help you if you can’t meet the needs that both jobs put on you. Your safety net could be another family member (your mom, for example) or a friend. We all need a person we can rely on in times of trouble or need.

Is it really a problem? What is happening? Why or how is it happening? What are some ways to change what is happening? Will your plan to change things work? Many times we don’t analyze the problem to see if it really is a problem. If what is happening now is not what we want to happen, we can feel that it is a problem. Ask yourself these questions. Is there a way that you can change what is happening? Think about what you would need to change to make the problem go away.

Then…Make the change! After thinking of things you could change to make your problem go away, make the change, and think about how useful the change was. Will it work again? Discuss some problems you or a friend have had at work. Can these be solved? How? Remember these, we will come back to them later… Have the students discuss a problem that they or a friend have had at work. Discuss how these problems could be solved. Discussion should stress legal and reasonable solutions. “Win the lottery so I never have to work again” isn’t a reasonable solution.

3 people and their problems Read through the three problems on page 4 of your booklet. What can these people do to solve their problems? Do these people have a safety net? Or a “Plan B?” Read through the three problems on page 4 of the booklet. What can these people do to solve their problems. Do these people have a safety net? (plan A?) or a Plan B?

Crisis Problems Some problems may feel too big to handle, but there is usually a way to handle them. Doing nothing about huge problems usually makes them get worse Think about the problems and search for answers. The difference in a problem and a crisis is the way we look at it, and what we think about and do about it. Crisis problems might include family legal problems, gangs, drug or alcohol problems, a child or spouse going “off the rails”, a terminally ill parent or other family member. We need to get some outside help for those crisis problems and not try to handle them ourselves. But we also need to do the research to find the answers. And look at it in a positive way.

Problems and solutions Read the solutions on page 6-8 of your booklet. Are there different ways of looking at problems? If all of these people had a “plan B” what would it be? Read the problems and solutions on pages 6-8. What do you think the best “Plan B” should be for each of these people?

Don’t let problems get worse Ignoring a problem usually makes it worse Most problems have a solutions Solving our own problems makes life more pleasant and makes us proud of ourselves We know we have what it takes to be successful in life Avoid problems or make them easier to solve by: Advance planning Always having a “Plan B” Having a support network—knowing who we can count on to help Ignoring a problem usually makes it worse. Try to find the solution to your problems using advance planning, having a “Plan B” and having a support network of people you can count on to help you. Also, know where to go for help. There are many social agencies set up to help you.

Good Choices… To avoid problems, think ahead of time what might happen and how we will react (and have a Plan B) Advance planning includes: Budgeting money and time Having good habits to keep us healthy Not doing things that can harm us. For every possible situation, we need to try to think of how we would solve that problem BEFORE it happens. That is called “advance planning.” The problem may never even happen, but if it does, we have a plan for it. Here are two examples. You get a new job. You find after school care for your school aged child. You ASK your neighbor (who doesn’t work) if you might call her to watch your child if she should happen to get sick and not be able to attend school. Months go by and your child is well. But one day, she comes home with a stomach virus and fever. The school nurse says she can’t come back to school until she is fever-free for 24 hours. You call your neighbor! Who then tell you yes, she will watch your child tomorrow! Or…you start saving money in an emergency account. Several months later you run over a piece of metal in the road and have to buy a new tire. The money is in your emergency fund, so you don’t have to worry where it will come from.

Advance Planning Look on page 11 of your booklet and come up with some ways that people can use advance planning skills to make life easier. Write them in your booklet. Read the advance planning Roberto could do on page 11. Then answer the questions for NaTasha and Emily as well. Discuss

Plan B Plan B is what you fall back on when Plan A (advance planning) isn’t going to work. A personal support network is very important in setting up your Plan B. Friends encourage and help each other during hard times! How could friends help NaTasha, Roberto and Emily? Read page 13 in your booklet and discuss. (friends support each other!) Read off of slide Discuss Read booklet page 12 and 13.