Just me and him - me taking him out into a public place. To the mall, for ice cream, and to the corner store…it's a no, no. Because I try to explain to him before we have to go somewhere, "Look…Mom doesn't have the money today…but…when Mommy has some extra money, Mommy will buy you a treat." He'll stand there; he'll take a temper tantrum.

Doug takes great pleasure in the low-cost activities for himself "I like to play cards. I enjoy that. Somethin', somethin' different. It's cheap…It only costs $6 to play. I enjoy it." Natalie also manages well from day to day by cutting her cable or telephone service if she is running short in her finances. However, she states that she needs help to manage at Christmas, "Christmas time is very hard - very hard. It's the only time of the year that I will ask for help though. The rest of the year I will survive."

Impact of Health Conditions and Behaviours on Family Members

The prevalence of physical and mental health problems in these low-income families is staggering, as shown in Table 9 on the next page. Without a doubt, these problems influence the atmosphere in the home and the psychological well-being of both the children and the adults. It should be pointed out that there is at least one smoker in each of the homes. Consequently, all of the children are exposed on a daily basis to second-hand smoke. The link between the hazards of second-hand smoke and asthma has been well-documented in the health literature. Further, many of the children have also been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and half of the children are reported to have learning disabilities.

In the adult participants, there is a high incidence of psychiatric disorders among the women in these families. The management of unstable mental health or sub-acute conditions, such as asthma, can be demanding on family members and affect the overall family functioning. Undoubtedly, the socialization of children in homes with parents suffering from emotional problems has an impact on the children. Julie recognizes this when she says, "My husband that's all he kept saying is how it doesn't affect them. It doesn't affect them. I said, 'Excuse me.' I said, 'I am the mother.' And I said, 'I see it. I feel it.' And I said - and I said - and I - and I said, 'it does, I can tell just by their actions.'"