Parents Save, Send Kids to 'Camp Granny'

Some 3 million children are raised by them

(NEWSER) - As our economy sank, the number of children being raised by their grandparents rose. A Pew Research Center analysis of census data found that 2.9 million American kids are being raised by grandma and grandpa—up 16% from 2000. But one period in that decade, 2007 to 2008, saw a 6% surge. Though the arrangements can come about due to everything from incarceration to teen pregnancy to overseas deployment, "clearly something was going on" in those years, says a Pew researcher. "We don't have the data to explicitly state that this is related to recession, but it's a very educated guess." More»

Struggling moms abandon plans for months, years off work with children

(NEWSER) - Stay-at-home moms are becoming the next casualty of the recession, the Wall Street Journal reports. Women who hoped to take several months or even years of maternity leave are now scrambling to find work or increase their hours as the family finances crumble. One mom-centric staffing agency has seen a 79% uptick in web traffic this year, with many clients now asking for full-time hours. More»

But most remain upbeat about their future: Pew survey

(NEWSER) - The economy is doing a number on those aged 18 to 34, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center :

• Half say they have taken a job they didn't want.
• More than a third have gone back to school because of the job market.
• Nearly a quarter have taken unpaid work to gain experience.
• About a quarter have moved back in with the folks.
• More than 1 in 5 have postponed having a baby, and about the same number have put off getting married.

More people may be drinking at home: CDC

(NEWSER) - The good news: According to self-reported data, Americans are driving drunk less often. The bad news: It may not be because we're more responsible, but because ... we're broke. The CDC data shows that self-reported drunk driving among adults was down 30% from 161 million instances in 2006 to about 112 million in 2010. Though the reasons are "not well understood," the CDC says the poor economy could be a factor, as more people drink at home. More»

LeHigh warehouse like something out of Grapes of Wrath , Ezra Klein observes

(NEWSER) - In the Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family gets a hard lesson in economics, when they follow a handbill for jobs to California—only to find there are no jobs. Why, he asks, did they put out the handbills? A fellow homeless man replies that if you’ve but one man for a job, you must pay him what he wants. “But s’pose they’s a hundred men wants that job. … Jus’ offer ‘em a nickel—why they’ll kill each other fightin’ for that nickel." One might dismiss that as another time and/or fiction, but Ezra Klein sees a modern example right in Pennsylvania. More»