Hiding a layoff from the family, bad idea? - any advice?

I have been leaving the house at the same time each day so my kids do not notice. Bills are coming up and I cannot keep this quiet. Did it get easier afterwards?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

I told my partner the same evening with a simple plan: what happened, what I was doing and what I needed. It was a relief.