Welcome back to Moms Talk, a feature that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families.
Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.
Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community are all welcome to weigh in and use the discussion forum as a resource. Each week, we'll pose a question and solicit feedback on a wide array of issues, but you should feel free to suggest questions you'd like to see discussed as well.
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This week, our discussion turns to talking to heavy conversations. This past weekend, I had a conversation with my five and a half year old about Memorial Day. I didn't want him to just think that it is all about barbecues and days off. I wanted him to know that we were also supposed to take a little time to remember those who have served our country. My problem? I am not allowed to just communicate the one message and leave it at that. Nope. There are always five hundred follow up questions that lead to another conversation that I am not interested in talking about. This conversation led to talking about soldiers, war, why there are wars,...you get the picture. Not what I was looking for. I find myself in this pickle a lot. I start with the best intentions. I don't want to "dumb down" life. I want to tell my kids the truth and I want them to know that they can come to me for the truth. Honest answers. That said - dude. They're little kids. How much should I say? How much do I tell him? How do I end the conversation at a safe place, without sounding like I am copping out or avoiding the truth?
Tell me about difficult conversations that you have had with your child. How do you handle it? How do you keep from veering the conversation into an area that you aren't actually comfortable talking about? What if your kid calls you out on avoiding the next level of conversation?
