Economics, When You're Ten

I had about five minutes to sit and chill with the kids this morning before taking Son #3 to the before school care center.  Son #2 was next to me on the couch, watching the local news, and the Economy In Crisis segment began.  Within seconds, the questions began.

"What's a stock market?"

"What are layoffs?"

"Why are business owners cutting jobs?  Shouldn't they be putting more people back to work?  How can they be so mean?"

I started to answer some of this, but how much could I do in a few minutes?  And how do I make a ten year old understand, when I don't have the best global understanding myself?  When I first became a parent, I was petrified about whether I had the skills to take care of an infant 24/7.  I didn't even conceive of this.  Oh, man.