A long recession always has its effects in almost all families. We always try to protect our children from these problems, mas inevitably they end up being somehow affected. They hear it at school, in the TV and they understand a lot more then we sometimes would like them to. My 4 year son was taking his breakfast while his two older sisters were still dressing themselves, and he took a much smaller portion of the cereal packet then he used to. The packet was almost empty and while I went to the kitchen to get a new one, I asked him if he was not hungry, and why was he taking such a small portion. He looked to the cereal packet
 - "May I take some more? Is this enough for them?", he asked, referring to his sisters. I really had to struggle to hold my tears...

When my second daughter was born, her sister had just completed 2 years of age. She was in a very annoying phase, asking for her mother for everything. Whenever I tried to feed her, brush her teeth or even take her out of the car, she would yell "Not you, mommy!". Quite frustrating, for a father. Then, mommy went to the hospital for almost 3 days to have give birth to the little sister and I stayed home with her.  She behaved beautifully and we got quite close during these few days. Of course we visited mommy at the hospital, but she was with me most of the time. We went to pick up mommy and the little sister at the hospital, and arrived home, and when I tried to take her off the car, the same "Not you, mommy!" returned. Mommy took her and started going home with both children while I was taking some bags out of the car. But on her way to the door, my 2 year girl somehow thought she was not being fair to me and stopped. She started crying, came back running to me and gave me the sweetest hug I even had. She never yelled that "Not you, mommy!" to me again. And if I could choose one moment in my life to live again, this would be the one.