Why it’s good to talk about tough topics with children

Talking about tough topics with their child/ren looks like a difficult job for some parents. They prefer not to discuss and keep it secret or delay in discussing tough themes with children. Depending on the topic, some parents believe it’s for child’s good not to know about different topics.

Tough topics include death, illness, divorce, adoption, sex.

Depending on the child’s age there are different approaches to talk. At every age, children have different questions, they are curious about the world around them, so why shouldn’t we answer them?

You know the famous children’s questions, ”where do babies come from”? My parents used to say that babies are brought by storks.
So, every time seeing a stork, I wonder which new family received the baby that day, or I will look at the bird and ask myself ”where is the baby”? Such a lie and a crazy way of explaining the meaning of a new life.

There are a lot of wonderful and inteligent ways of explaining to your 5 years old child where do babies come from. Explain them with the right words, do not give them false information!

If you can’t talk about a topic then let others do it. But it doesn’t mean that children are not capable of knowing or understanding. Do not keep it secret until you finalise the divorce and then let them know, they will feel lied to, betrayed.

Tough topics were asked one by you, me and other adults. Give the right answer and always provide the right support for your child/ren

Emotional intelligence for children

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 Do you let your children express their feelings, or you ask them not to cry and go to their room?

Are you supporting the child to express those feelings, emphasise with an angry, frustrated, happy, sad child?

”If we were told from the beginning that childhood defines adult mental health, we would take care to be more loving of a child’s soul”.

I think most of our parents would relate to this sentence.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to be smart about managing your emotions.

E.I describes someone’s ability to express his or her emotions appropriately, to correctly interpret other people’s emotions, and to understand the triggers and outcomes of certain emotions.

From the age of two, your child should be able to show affection, you might see three years old comforting an upset child, they five hugs or a toy. They are capable of understanding the feeling of others. There are thousands of ideas on how to teach your child about emotions ( use cards, be a role model, and other technics like “bubble breaths”).

Imagine you are a 5 y.o and you playing with Legos, building a house, and someone comes and is destroying your work, what do you do next as a child?

But what would a parent that knows the importance of E.I in early childhood? Most probably will come to you and let you communicate your feelings, talk with you about understanding others, compassion, and support you in building the new house of Legos