Mama Mantra: Have The Hard Conversations

Posted January 12, 2021 by Prairie Wife -

Have the hard conversations.

It’s awkward.

It’s cringe-worthy.

It’s terrible and miserable…but have the hard conversations.

Because here’s the deal, if your kids don’t hear it from you, they are going to hear it from someone else.

And who knows what message they will receive?

I’m talking about everything from sex to inappropriate touching and abuse.

From news of death and illness and tragedies to politics and world news.

One benefit of technology is that we can often privately receive news without our kids even knowing.

I could learn about the tragedy of Notre Dame burning and process my own emotions before I talked to our children about it.

Unlike OUR childhoods, families are usually no longer learning at the same time about a tragic event as we watch the late-night news or listen to the radio.

But, this also means that once our children have access to tech on their own we have less control of what messages they receive.

This was all brought home to me last week when I watched as the news of the attack on the capitol filled my phone screen.

I knew my kids had no idea what was going on, but I didn’t feel like I could send them to school oblivious to the events of the day before.

I wanted to make sure they knew what happened, and more importantly how I felt about it.

You can learn more by listening to this video I posted.

When I talked to my kids I paused as my voice shook, I stuttered, I repeated myself…and yes I even cried.

But when they left for school, I knew that they had no doubt where we stood on this particular event as a family.

More importantly…they knew how they could do better, be better, and create a better America for all of us.

They weren’t left feeling helpless and scared, and they saw yet again that it was okay to get emotional about things that matter to us.

I have seen that us sitting down with our kids and talking about the hard parts of life has helped them to face tough things with grace, kindness, strength, and dignity.

I’ve learned through my almost 15 years as a parent that it DOES get easier.

I have learned that if I begin with an open and honest intention that good will come from our conversations.

Looking at the big picture, I can see that our willingness to have the hard conversations has given our children the tools they need to face the terrible parts of life we can’t protect them from in a healthy way that allows them to move forward with grit and grace.

And, I can’t think of a better thing for them to learn.

Have the hard conversations.

Categories: Life As It Happens, Parenting

Tags: , akward moments, hard conversations, mama mantra, parenting, sad news, talk to your kids, talking to kids