Americans young and old appear resigned to the stress in their lives: 75% of adults feel moderate to high stress. And, children and teens are plenty stressed, too, even though their parents may not realize it. As you may recall this years articles are all suggestions from your kids as I visited them throughout last year. 
 

Children absolutely sense parents' stress. 36% of kids surveyed said they worried more this year than last; 30% said they worried about family financial difficulties. "I've got a lot of things on my plate", is what kids hear their parents saying. In addition to feeling their parents' stress, children have their own worries, including doing well in school (44%). 
 

Parents tell me they're shielding their kids from their stress, however kids are struggling more than parents are willing to acknowledge. 
 

Stress today is "almost like a fact of life". People are just juggling more things than they were 10, 15 or 20 years ago, especially finances.
 

1. Create an Emergency Fund - Emergency funds are quite possibly one of the most important things you can do for yourself financially. You never know when you will need quick access to several hundred, or even a thousand dollars to deal with a car repair or a quick plane trip to visit a family member who live far away. An emergency fund will give you the funds to take care of these expenses as they arrive, and help you stay out of debt.
2. Create a Spending Plan - Be organized and purposeful, yet simple. When using credit cards, people spend 12 to 18 percent more and lose touch between spending and how much they actually have to spend. Instead, determine in advance how your money will be allocated. Break it down into four different groups: (1) Giving; (2) Saving; (3) Fixed Expenses (cable TV, cell phones, insurance, mortgage/rent, utilities, etc.); (4) Variable Expenses (books, entertainment, food, gas, etc.) Variable expenses include what you can control every month. This is the category that gets families into trouble. Group all your variable expenses together. Create a separate account at your bank that will be used for thee expenses only. At the beginning of the month deposit your allowance into the account. Throughout the month, pay for your variable expenses with a debit card (not credit card)  so you can track them. When the money is gone, stop spending! This is realistic and gives you a much better sense of how much money you are spending as you spend it - rather than after the money is already gone. 
3. Take advantage of full company match for your retirement plan. If your employer matches 2 percent, save 2 percent. You are giving yourself a raise in doing so, and addressing a major long-term need at the same time. Take the free money!
    

There's an ongoing debate among parents as to whether or not children need to be told about household finances.
 

In such a discussion, several questions will invariably arise, such as: At what age are children to be informed about the household budget? Are children to be included in a family budgeting discussion? Do children need be told about serious financial problems facing the family?
 

While many parents have pondered these questions, there is one underlying theme that everyone agrees is valid - don't let your debt worry your child.