Today I wanted to discuss the four categories of Family Profits. Family, finances, income, and sustainability are four areas of our lives that typically aren’t talked about together, even though they influence each other. One or two of the connections are discussed a great deal in America – for example, most Americans feel that if they earned more income, their families, finances, and ability to live a healthy life would be stronger. Other connections are hardly ever raised – not many folks discuss how living a personally and environmentally sustainable life helps their family, their wallet, or their career. In fact, many people are living lives that make them sick (grabbing unhealthy meals on the run, not taking time to exercise or have fun, etc.) in an effort to spend more time earning an income.

I just came across a medical study that illustrates some of the less-discussed connections beautifully. Researchers at the University of Southern California discovered that children are significantly more likely to develop asthma if they are exposed to air pollution and their parents have high levels of stress. The addition of parental stress had a huge impact on the likelihood that a child would develop asthma. I don’t think anyone would be surprised to learn that exposure to air pollution can trigger breathing problems but many would be surprised to learn that stress felt by a parent could impact the health of their child. It certainly has me considering how important it is to actively manage my own stress levels in a different light.

If you are like me and want to see the study for yourself, an abstract of Parental stress increases the effect of traffic-related air pollution on childhood asthma incidence is available on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences website. A link to the full text, which requires a subscription, is also available there.

Bringing it closer to home, my family has been reminded once again about the impact of these connections. Last week, while racing around trying to accomplish one last task before bedtime (exactly what I tell the girls not to do!), I caught a doorjam with my bare foot and broke a toe. School started last week so I had had BIG plans for September. Many of those had to be put on hold and Rich and I had to redo our schedules. Several of our household systems started sputtering once I was laid up. Rich has done a fabulous job (thanks again for everything, honey!) but with one of the two adults not at 100%, laundry and cleaning tasks began piling up quickly. Once I’m more mobile, we’ve got some digging out to do, which will take away time from other things. Next time I will listen more carefully to my own advice!

What connections do you see among family, finances, income, and sustainability? In what areas do you feel strong? Where would you like to make improvements?

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