What To Say To Your Kids When You Dont Have a Clue
b'We average about one conversation a week, with one or other of our children, during which we are suddenly at a total loss as to what to say. Perhaps you too have had a few Tough Questions like these:\\n\\xa0Is Santa real?\\n\\xa0What is racism?\\n\\xa0If I go to heaven, will my toys come too?\\n\\xa0When answering Tough Questions like these, Amy feels that it\\u2019s important not to have innocence-ending conversations too early. She calls it \\u201cage-appropriate obfuscation.\\u201d Keep it simple, keep it reassuring.\\n\\xa0But Margaret likes to call this approach \\u201cSay \\u2018Delay,\\u2019 Run Away,\\u201d and she has somewhat of a point. The Tough Questions need to be answered, and if a parent doesn\\u2019t step up, a kid might just seek out some peer education, bound to be rife with misinformation.\\n\\xa0In this episode, we discuss\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0* why it\\u2019s hard to explain concepts like racism to children young enough to be unaware of it\\n\\xa0* how to let the child lead any delicate discussion with her questions (rather than your answers)\\n\\xa0* the power of the pause before responding\\n\\xa0* why you should always leave a little bit left over to divulge for next time\\n\\xa0* why we all just have to figure out the Easter Bunny back story already\\n\\nHere\\u2019s some of the best advice we have collected:\\n\\n* from Meg\\u2019s sister in law: Only answer the question you are asked.\\n* from educator Danielle McLaughlin: \\u201cIn order to actually engage our children, we need to find out what it is that they already know and what are they seeking to understand.\\u201d\\n* from Michael Thompson, PhD: \\u201cPausing for a moment\\u2026lets your child know you are taking him seriously.\\u201d\\n* from PBS Parents: save a little bit of information for the next conversation on the same topic. Cause it\\u2019s coming.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'