Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Should This Outrage?

A bit of family drama is developing, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. My mother's employer invested in some very expensive equipment right before the economy tanked and he is having real financial difficulties. Last week, my mother was laid off. She remains job attached, but I suggested that she look for employment opportunities. It took about 8 months for her to find work a couple of years ago because of her age and skill set. Since her divorce, she is the only source of income for her household (I speak, not of siblings, but of a myriad pets). She thanked me for the prudent advise, but decided to buy a plane ticket to visit relatives out of state.

She reasons that this may be the only opportunity to take a vacation, if she is called back to work in a couple of weeks. I worry that her money could be better spent--or rather saved for leaner times ahead. She has already expressed some concern over the 4-6 week delay she expects before her unemployment benefits kick in.

On one hand, I feel very strongly that she is capable of making decisions regarding her own life. She always has, so there is no cause for me to interfere outside of a statement or two of advise. However, her decisions may impact the finances of her children and their families.