Published on 18 May, 2026
When she’s not hiding out at a café or having funny little conversations with her three children, June can be found editing articles or dreaming up podcast episodes for Focus on the Family Singapore.
At a Glance:
For many families today, conversations around spending have become more careful and constrained. Rising prices for essentials like food, transport and utilities mean that more households are paying closer attention to everyday spending.
In times like these, what does it mean to be a resilient family? One thing is for sure – it’s not about pretending that things are fine and dandy; neither is it about pushing through stoically without feeling. But it’s about adapting thoughtfully as a family unit, and staying emotionally steady through the process.
Resilience is cultivated in the ordinary moments that shape our home life.
Take budgeting for instance. It is not just a financial task that we can approach logically and coldly. The way we make money-related decisions sets the tone for how our children understand budget and limits, especially in uncertain times.
Here are some ways families may be curbing their spending:
To be honest, I was never a budgeting person – until I met my husband and he introduced me to the beauty of a budget spreadsheet. Still, it took me years to understand why we ever needed to have a budget and to track our spending monthly. The tool came in handy when we had to seriously consider having one of us stay home to care for the kids when the trio were all under the age of six. We were able to work out our sums rationally, and come to a reasonable budget that would not eat into our savings, and yet allow us to be present with the children in their formative years.
Today, our children are all teens, and they understand what we mean when we ask, “What’s your budget?” When times are tighter, we are also able to explain our budgeting choices calmly, such as by saying, “We’re choosing to cut back now because it helps us take care of our family’s needs in the long term.”
Our children learn over time that having a budget isn’t a dampener on our lifestyle, but a prudent approach towards building a sustainable future. When times are difficult, they see us adults adapting to the challenges of the day, but not panicking. This adaptability is a building block of resilience.
Our children learn that having a budget isn’t a dampener on our lifestyle, but a prudent approach towards building a sustainable future.
If budgeting teaches our children how to work with limits, contentment teaches them how to live well within those limits.
Contentment is often misunderstood as settling for less, when in reality, it is the quiet confidence of knowing what is enough, and being thankful for what we have. In our home, we try to practise contentment through the small trade-offs we make together.
For example:
I used to worry that saying “no” too often would make our children feel deprived. Over time, I realised that what mattered more was how we said no — calmly, without guilt, and with a clear explanation. When we say things like, “Let’s wait and think about this,” or “Are you sure you really need this right now?” we model self‑control and pausing to think.
As our children grew older, they began to recognise contentment as a form of stability for the family. They learnt that we were not being a killjoy, but making room for intentional choices that we truly desire and value.
This ability to live peacefully within limits, without resentment or constant comparison, also helps to build our resilience muscles.
Research consistently shows that gratitude plays an important role in emotional well‑being. Studies link gratitude to better mental health, improved sleep, stronger relationships and greater resilience during stressful periods.
Gratitude, like resilience, is something we need to practise in the mundane everyday moments. In our family, gratitude did not begin as a formal exercise. It grew out of a need to notice what we could still be grateful for even when things felt demanding. Over time, it became part of our bedtime rituals.
Some ways to practise gratitude:
There were days when the practice felt awkward, especially when everyone was tired or preoccupied. But along the way, something shifted within us, and gratitude became less performative and more habitual. We learnt that giving thanks did not require us to minimise difficulties; it simply helped to remind us that difficulty was not the whole story.
So even when circumstances are not ideal, as a family, we can still choose to notice what is good, and this helps us stay emotionally steady and grounded.
Giving thanks helped to remind us that difficulty was not the whole story.
One of the most important gifts we can give our children is not comfort alone, but resilience.
When children observe us responding to changes in the environment with steadiness rather than fear and anxiety, and appreciation rather than resentment, they too learn how to face uncertainty with strength and hope.
Economic conditions will continue to shift. Costs may rise and fall. But resilience is not about control over circumstances, it is about how families choose to respond within them.
When she’s not hiding out at a café or having funny little conversations with her three children, June can be found editing articles or dreaming up podcast episodes for Focus on the Family Singapore.
Nelson and Gina
Workshop: May 2026
Nelson and Gina Lee have been accredited facilitators with Focus on the Family Singapore for over a decade, beginning their involvement conducting relationship talks for tertiary students since 2011.
Driven by a passion for nurturing strong relationships, they have extensive experience in facilitating dating workshops for courting couples and pre-marital programmes for those considering marriage. They have also have led marriage retreats designed to deepen connection and commitment among married couples.
