Elmo's mom gets laid off

by Phil Stott

It's probably fitting that this week-the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the financial meltdown that has caused carnage in the economy and led to millions of job losses across the country-is the week that Elmo finds out his mom has lost her job on Sesame Street. Not literally-the actress will still be appearing on the show-but her character will break the news to Elmo on September 9 on PBS (that's on Wednesday-check your local listings for the exact air time).

Among the important lessons Elmo (and by extension any kids watching the show) will learn are that cutbacks are needed: so trips to amusement parks are canceled in favor of trips to the playground, while visits to the cinema become nights at home with a DVD instead. Also important: Elmo learns that it's not his fault and that there's a big difference between needs (things like food) and wants (things like toys). 

In a country now boasting an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, the upcoming episode is both timely and potentially very useful for any parent who finds themselves in the situation of having to explain a downturn in their family's personal fortunes to their kid. (OK, so it might have been more timely back in the spring when companies were announcing layoffs with such frequency that it seemed like a competition, but beggars can't be choosers.)

Anyway, to further set the scene, here's Elmo appearing on the Today show last weekend to discuss the economic situation (no, really!), and provide some lead-in to Wednesday's show
 
AND HERE'S THE LINK (just in case): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32713599#32713599