Parents out to dinner will often talk about “The Talk.”
“Have you had The Talk yet? How old was she? What did you say?”
Can you make your spouse do it and avoid the whole thing? What should you tell your child about _______? The blank could be drugs, drinking, divorce, death, or “doing it” and a bunch of other topics as well.
We avoid these topics out of fear. Fear that we will send the wrong message, give wrong information, not know the answer to a question the child will ask. What if I scare him, or (even worse) interest him in experimenting with something he’s not ready for? What if I tell her too soon and she blabs to all the kids on the playground, or to her Sunday school teacher?
So why is “The Talk” a big lie? Because it implies two very mistaken ideas.
- You get to choose the time and place for this talk. You don’t. More often than not (especially if you put this off), your child will ask when you least expect it.
- Each talk only needs to happen once. Nope. Want a chance to influence your child’s values and behavior? Talk early and often. Repetition is a learning tool. I say, repetition is a learning tool.
Have I freaked you out? Don’t be scared – take control! Click on over to TheMotherhood.com before 1pm Wednesday Feb. 1st.* I’m joined there by 5 fabulous women, also moms with Talks behind and ahead of them. We’re talking about how to talk to kids about these topics. RSVP now! After this event I will make a free downloadable tool available on my site for all the attendees that explains clearly how to prepare yourself for any difficult topic and how to impart the values you choose.
*OK, you missed it. But the recap of talking to kids about tough topics is here!
