Finance/Children

Hi Taylor: Aside from Amazon, are there industries or businesses that have done well during the Taylor pandemic? I’ve Kovar been lucky enough to keep my job, but I’m wondering about younger people and those out of work - what options do they have for job searching? - Kelsey

Hey Kelsey: Great question and topic! I always think it’s great to find the silver lining, especially in times like these when it can be difficult to stay positive. In addition to the big businesses that have increased profits over the last six months, we’ve seen a good number of sectors and services experience growth as well.

Online sales. As you mentioned, Amazon has been raking in money hand over fist since places first started locking down. However, that company’s monopoly isn’t absolute when it comes to digital retail. A lot of businesses have adapted to start shipping their goods and making online ordering more accessible. As a part of that, those working on the back end in logistics and e-commerce have found lots of opportunities. Any service with a foothold and the ability to streamline online shopping has been pretty successful. And, outside of those digital jobs, the economy has added a lot of work for couriers to handle the increase in shipping.

Digital training. As we’re all aware, education has largely moved online in the wake of COVID. This hasn’t necessarily led to a big increase in traditional teaching jobs, but it has prompted a surge of jobs related to education and training. Current teachers need to train in new technology and programs, and tech companies are employing developers to work on software that will make distanced learning easier to manage. There are seminars running online for educators looking to get better at instructing from home, as well as how-to tutorials in just about every field.

Outdoor everything. Even as we all fight to get back to the normal lives we used to have, American innovation is on display everywhere you look. Gyms and restaurants have found ways to move operations outdoors while maintaining distance and the same quality people had come to expect before the pandemic. You might not own a cafe or a fitness center, but anyone with space to offer an outdoor service is in high demand. Start teaching a pilates class in the park, or throw together a pop-up movie theater. Think about how this virus restricts us and what you could do in response - whatever you come up with might be the perfect business opportunity during these crazy times.

I can’t wait to get to the other side of this when we can stop viewing everything through a coronavirus lens. Until then, it’s great to keep the wheels turning and thinking of available work. Thanks for writing in!

Legal Disclaimer: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar.com or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901. Q: In a recent column, you identified toddlerhood as “the hump of parenting.” As a grandmother John who managed to Rosemond raise five kids who were out of the house in their early twenties and are responsible citizens, I could not agree more. Two of them, however, did not get over the hump with their kids and now have spoiled, difficult children whom I sadly do not enjoy being around. Do you have advice for how parents can recover from this condition with school-age and teenage children?

A: The column in question prompted a slew of responses that echoed yours, so I’ve posted a link to it on the homepage of my website at johnrosemond.com. Click on “the hump.” As a grandfather to seven, all of whom are a pleasure to be around (most of the time, which is to say, they are normal human beings), I can only imagine the heartache experienced by a grandparent whose experience is not what he or she anticipated. That is, however, the number one problem grandparents express to me. More than a few have told me they no longer visit their grandkids’ homes because they are so painfully undisciplined.

The good news is that parents can recover from not getting over the so-called “hump of parenting” on time. My wife and I are testaments of exactly that. With our first child, we (and he) suffered the aftereffects of my graduate-school education in psychology, an education that did anything but prepare me for the realities of a strong-willed child.

We were ten years into this academia-induced parenting coma before realizing that despite everything my professors had drilled into my head, children were not holy beings sent from heaven to grace the world with their immaculate presence. They were human beings, with the slew of the imperfections appertaining thereto.

Both my personal and professional experience causes me to believe that the two most common reasons parents fail to get over the hump on time and successfully are (a) wanting to be liked by one’s kids and (b) thinking children can be talked into behaving properly.

As for (a), a parent’s leadership (authority) must be firmly established before a genuinely wonderful relationship is possible. Prioritizing relationship leads, paradoxically, to disrespect. As for (b), children come into the world wanting their own way and determined to get it by any means necessary. It would be lovely if the little sociopath could be gently persuaded to love his neighbor, but separating a child from his selfish, pragmatic nature usually requires a crowbar.

The contemporary parenting myth is that love will suffice to raise a responsible, charitable human being. An enchanting notion, for sure, and very seductive. The unfortunate fact, however, is that parents must counteract a child’s natural inclinations with resolute, but calm and gentle force. To his own benefit, their child needs to discover that “no” means no and that he must obey them for no reason other than “because we say so.”

Newer technologies are almost always superior to older technologies, but the same is not true of ideas.

Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond.com, p arentguru.com.

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology. In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.