LETTERS

Re: David Lazarus’ consumer column, “Joblessness takes a toll on the soul -- and the family,” Feb. 22:

Parents who lost their jobs are having a hard time facing their children with the news that they got whacked? I thought that you should be honest with your kids.

Just tell them, “I lost my job today. We are going to have to figure out ways to spend a lot less money. We’re in a depression and we may not recover from this for years.”

There are places in the world where parents have to tell their kids there’s no food to eat or no money for the doctor. Or they have to search the garbage dump for anything that they can sell. I guess that the only place where poverty brings families together is in TV shows.

Matthew Okada

Pasadena