Dec 26, 2017
Season 4, Episode 32
Secrets, secrets are no fun. Secrets, secrets hurt someone! Most everyone has heard this at some point in their lives, and typically it’s about kids keeping secrets from each other. But wow, I have heard story after story of how secrets, lies and deception have just ripped families apart. Our lesson today is an important one, and one that can be a pretty touchy subject.
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We shifted our Christmas a bit this year - spacing gifts out over the week vs. a big dump Christmas morning. It was nice to really give attention and focus to each present as we opened one a day.
What shifts did you make this Christmas? What have you explored doing differently so you can focus on what is most important? Have you experimented with any of your old traditions and tried anything new this year? Share it with us in the Mama Says Namaste Facebook group!
No Secrets
We are up-front and honest with our children 100% of the time. This does NOT mean we tell them every detail of everything. This doesn’t mean they need to know every piece of news and heaviness in the world.
When a child asks a poignant question that has depth to it, they deserve the respect to give them an answer. It doesn’t mean they have to be told every little fact and detail - but they should be heard and answered.
Sometimes kids are ready to hear a truth, and other times, they can chose not to. Sometimes, they can simply choose to “believe in magic.”
A lot of times we are the ones placing the high expectations on a topic and giving it a lot more weight than what is needed.
Setting Boundaries
There are conversations we have
with each other where children want to know all the details.
I can respect their curiosity, give them a “cliffs notes”
version of what we’re talking about, and explain to them that this
is a conversation that doesn’t relate or apply to them. There
are times where it’s simply not their business, or they are too
young for the topic.
No Secrets Does Not Mean A News Brief
No subject is taboo in our home. Everything is open to discussion. But this does not mean I sit my children down and give them a news brief every morning.
Our children don’t need to know everything. They don’t need the weight of the darkness and sadness in the world on their shoulders. I want to protect them from the pain as much as I can, but sooner or later, our children are going to see pain and hurt and the darker side of the world. I want them to always know the door is open for us to talk with them about anything. No topic is off limits, and we want to remain a safe haven to learn and ask questions.
Why Is This So Important?
No secrets promotes teamwork. When you keep secrets from your children, you’re supporting a hierarchy of who is “in the know.” Kids can sniff out lies easier than we give them credit for. We have to keep in mind that it’s not just our words, but our energy and unspoken body language that our children see. The heavy stuff – our “skeletons in the closet,” can run deep.
I have friends and family who grew up with secrets. The missing pieces – “Why did Daddy leave?” or “Where did the money go?” created confusion in kids. We are naturally inquisitive as humans. We want to know how things tick and why x + y = z. Missing gaps don’t go unnoticed. I don’t need to inform my children of every thing going on in my life, but when it affects my temperament; when my brain is elsewhere and I’m processing something heavy on my heart, the kids notice.
Allow Your Children To See Your Pain
If it’s affecting you, your children deserve to know what’s going on. When we have emotional turmoil, this makes a big impact in our energy and how we are with everyone, including our children. To hide or compartmentalize our “issues” simply means we are choosing not to deal with them at the moment, and they will inevitably crop up down the road. Young children, especially, are egocentric. They typically believe most of life revolves around them. When a child sees a parent having a hard time, the first thought is “what did I do?”
You perpetuate unhealthy emotion management when you hide and suppress. Use those moments of pain as a time to process and teach about a powerful way to deal with the emotions you are processing. You don’t have to hand off the pain, but you can be open about what you’re going through.
Don’t Avoid The Hot Topics
It’s not just about pain, however. There are many topics that end up being taboo in a household. It may be about sex, drugs, or religion. Maybe it’s the “because I said so” discussion regarding curfew or why you are anti-whatever. Controversial issues in the world – the ones that are highly opinionated and much discussed – are going to present themselves to your children.
Be careful about delaying conversations that allow an opportunity for growth.
Keep An Open Door
The only tension we feel is our own - our need to answer and be “right.”
This is how they learn.
Your children are sponges. They are soaking everything
up – both things said and unsaid. In our
household, we have an open door policy. It’s not just about
dumping everything on them, but we want to set the precedent that
they can come to us with anything. A few tips for keeping an
open door and not having secrets:
Download the PDF of 7 Tips for Family Honesty
Your Action Item for this week – Your children are going to ask you questions this week. Make it a point to be truthful with your answer, even if it’s simply “I don’t know” or “I’m not quite ready to talk about that with you.” The point is to be honest with where you are at – not simply pulling out every skeleton. Just start setting the precedent that your home has an open door for conversation.
No secrets doesn’t mean baring all and shoving it in people’s faces. It means being authentic and true to who and where you are at this moment - even if it’s simply saying, “I’m not ready to talk about it.”
Care for some Q&A? Hit us with any questions you have, and we’ll send you a personal email response back and may address it on a future podcast! Simply email Ashley directly at Ashley@MamaSaysNamaste.com
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• Email Ashley directly at ashley@MamaSaysNamaste.com
*Podcast music by the awesome Renee & Jeremy who cover "Put a Little Love In Your Heart" by Jackie DeShannon. Props to both of them for this beautiful rendition that epitomizes what I want for families!