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As a parent you are the person your little one looks up to. They admire you and love you for the person you are and all that you do for them. This can make it very difficult for parents to tell their kids anything that would disappoint them or make them sad. But unfortunately, life isn’t always rosy and some harsh truths do need to be imparted to your kids so that they are better prepared to enter the world without their rose tinted glasses on. Most of the time parents wait for the child to start asking questions about areas they might be struggling with. For example, talking about the financial situation of the family or how the parent is working too many hours at their job and hasn’t been able to spend any quality time with the child. Parents don’t want to be the first one to address these things which can come from a place of fear as they don’t want their kids to worry. But if there’s one thing we know it’s that kids notice everything. So here are a few difficult conversations parents might have to have with their kids and how to go about it.
1. Telling Them That Santa Isn’t Real
Unfortunately the Christmas miracle doesn’t last forever. Eventually your little one is going to get suspicious and go looking for answers. It’s best if you let them in on the magic before they find out by themselves. Most children just come to a slow realization as they grow older. But some children find the whole concept of Santa strange from the very beginning. They might wonder why you are letting an old man in the house, why he’s to be given cookies and why everyone is so cool with this. Some kids even cry and start to panic and would much rather be told that it’s you instead of being convinced that a total stranger is keeping a tab on them all year round. So it may be in your best interest to just sit them down and gently tell them that Santa isn’t real. You can tell them the original story of St. Nicolas and how you are upholding the tradition. It’s okay to allow your little ones to believe in the fantasy, as long as the truth eventually is revealed by you.
2. Telling Them You Have Money Problems
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Not all parents are made out of money or are financially stable by the time they have a baby. Sometimes there are things that you can’t afford or have to budget for and that’s okay, as long as your child is made aware as well. Telling your children of the financial constraints you have may stress them out when they are little but at least they know why you object to certain things and it will eventually lead to them being financially responsible and learning to value the things that they have. It’s important to teach your kids that money is only earned from doing hard work which then goes towards the household, food, medical care, insurance and a plethora of other things before a budget is set aside for fun. This way they will learn to keep money aside and save from a young age which will help them be financially responsible once they grow up.
3. Not Having An Answer To Every Question
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Parents feel the pressure to have all the answers to every interesting question their little one has. And although it’s far easier to make up a story about where mermaids came from or how to become a slime princess, some questions are harder to answer. Like trying to remember how pi works or what class of animals Koalas belong to. Sometimes you just don’t know and that’s okay! It’s okay for your children to realize that you have limitations as a human being and that you don’t know everything. This will motivate them to go out and find the answer by themselves. Ask them to share it with you when they do. There’s nothing wrong with learning from your kids too!
4. Telling Them They Can’t Get Everything They Want Out Of Life
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Every parent wants their child to dream big and reach for the stars but sometimes it can be hard to tell them to be a little realistic as well. If you need to have this difficult conversation with your child, try to phrase it differently. You can tell them that they have the opportunity to do anything they want to do which isn’t the same as them being anything they can be. You want them to understand that they need to apply themselves and be capable in order to achieve things. However nothing is for certain. It’s also important to let them know that some people have special talents in certain areas like art, singing, sports or chess.
Telling your kid something difficult is never a pleasant feeling. It can leave you feeling guilty and quite horrible but it doesn’t have to be all bad. Sometimes, telling them what they need to hear might just be the best thing for them and now that you know how to do it, these conversations will go over smoothly.
