As I come to see my 20 year old and 15 year old sons growing into adults right before my eyes, I'm constantly amazed at what they know ...I'm pretty sure that at the tender age of 15 I didn't know much about debt, although I often wondered about those small pieces of paper laying all over my mother's table with numbers added and subtracted across them. "Figuring" -- she called it -- and now I know why! She, too, was a single mother and tried relentlessly to interest me in her world of numbers and finance (she was a bank employee, and later officer, for many years). But having developed the brain that was partial to words I steered clear of anything to do with numbers whenever possible. That would include her talk of stocks, bonds, interest, etc. I'm not sure if it was a fear of learning something that I found challenging, a sense of "someone else will take care of that" or some rebellious streak, but I never paid attention when she talked about financial matters and once she became disabled, I realized I should have listened more. That is a lesson in itself to young girls who don't fancy "figuring" and these days, more necessary than ever before. Our children know what it's like for a country to be in debt, for their parents to be in debt and for their neighbors to suddenly sell boats, cars and houses and downsize everything in sight. They have seen their parents worry about retirement, healthcare and in too many cases, what to put on the table for dinner -- for them, the stresses of the current economy are just a click away. I can still remember sitting at the kitchen table and having my mother slide a Kiplinger Report over, hoping I would take an interest in its musings on money. And now, as my boyfriend of four years (a man she would love to mull over money-talk with) opens a Kiplinger publication in the mail, I have to smile and cringe all at the same. time. How the world has changed and oh, how I wish I had listened and learned then! What our children have learned at a much younger age is that no, money doesn't buy happiness, but perhaps a sense of freedom and with that, the time, ability and mindset to explore, create and savor life. Perhaps they are learning that taking in as much financial know-how as possible and learning the basics of economics (note: it's not as complicated as it appeared to be in that enormous college lecture hall) just might be time well spent. I know that revelation has made my mother very proud!

Today's a bit cloudy and there's a chill in the air, but most of us know there is spring on the horizon and with it, new beginnings. At least we continue to believe that each year as March roars on. For those in economic crisis, spring can seem an eternity in the future .... if at all. Sometimes that feeling of financial dread is like winter dragging on ... cold and lonely. I'm talking about one single mother I've met who is employed full time, boasts a college degree, but with skills that by today's standards are limited, even dated. The past year has been a step down for her, trading a large home in a comfortable suburb for an apartment that is comfortable, but not quite home. There are nights when going to the grocery store means carrying in $5.00 cash and hoping to feed the family for a few days. This is the mother who neglects her own health at times to cover the kids, owns up to a pair of broken teeth, who laughs at the idea of spending a couple thousand dollars on root canals. This is the mother who scrounges for change to put gas in the car, who once drove a minivan with a cushy DVD player and typically spent February and early March planning the annual family vacation. Life back then wasn't grand, it was normal. But looking back, it was taking time and money for granted, a lesson well-learned. But to talk to her today, enough is enough. This is the mother who doesn't quite qualify for government assistance, yet receives no child support and falls asleep each night with the next looming bill payment on her mind, waking to the same grim reality. She's anxious for a new job, but worried that her credit history isn't worthy of a new employer. Interview clothes are in short supply. The eager "new shoe shopping" of past seasons is on hold. That's not a fashion statement she's dying to make either, just a much-needed component of the interview ensemble. But the family needs food and detergent and school supplies that were once taken so for granted. This was the mom who was among the first to donate crayons and notebooks at the start of each school year, who now sheds a tear when the news stories of those in need are hitting too close to home. Spring is coming, really? She'd be hard to convince.

Desperate isn't pretty and it's moving into new neighborhoods

As a pretty keen observer of life in general (if only I did as much as I observe!) it's easy to see that something is amiss in the world. Now that I've got you smirking and thinking to yourself -- like that's a news flash -- what I mean is this: money is a problem. Again, no big flash there. But in my musings of people I come in contact with most, it's a problem for one demographic in a different way... and that would be single mothers, of all ages, who aren't sure where to turn, who aren't accustomed to not knowing where to turn, and who strive, amidst it all, to maintain a grace and dignity that's missing in far too many areas of our society. With that said, I'd like to follow a few single moms who are willing to journal on a regular basis and share the ups (not so many) and downs (too many to count) of struggling in an economy that's uncertain and perhaps most of all, uncomfortable. On many levels. Join me as we take a look at what "desperate" is wearing this season ... the profile in the mirror might just surprise you.