Hi mama,

One of the most difficult jobs parents have is making their child feel comfortable and confident in the world. It’s challenging to break complex topics into words, but you need to do it to help your kid feel more prepared for life occurrences.

Talking to your child about difficult topics depends on their age, temperament, and sensitivities. For example, how you convey death in the family to a child will sound different than how you express it to a teen. Read about how you can share heavy topics with your child depending on their age.

How To Talk To Your Kids About Difficult Topics

Two To Six-Year-Olds

These youngsters are still making sense of the world and looking to their parents for guidance. With such a small amount of life experience, complex topics might not add up to them. Talking to your child about difficult topics at this age should be kept simple, sensitive, and straightforward.

• Limit exposure: It’s okay to protect children at this age from certain harrowing or convoluted subjects. Keep their media age-appropriate to narrow their exposure to disconcerting issues.
• Acknowledge feelings: When they encounter something perplexing, acknowledge their emotions. Lead by example to teach your child how to share their feelings and let them know how and why a difficult topic makes you sad, upset, or simply confused. Confirm you’re not upset with them and allow your little one to share how they feel.
• Use familiar language: Children at this age typically have a limited lexicon. Use vocabulary that is clear to them, expressing your message using familiar examples.

Seven To Twelve-Year-Olds

This age group’s ability to read and write increases their susceptibility to age-inappropriate content exposure. As children from ages seven to twelve start to gain critical thinking skills, they may have a lot more questions about the world around them.

• Offer context: Exposure to a heavy topic can be jarring for your child. Provide the context around a challenging subject, such as death or divorce, to help them make sense of it.
• Establish a safe space for conversation: Welcome your child’s curiosity by letting them know they’re free to ask questions without judgment.

Teenagers

Teens consume media independently and likely participate in social media on their own. The chances of your teen responding well to a lecture are slim, so consider the following tips in sharing your words with your child.

• Promote open discussions: Share that you understand you may not always see eye to eye, but that you’re always eager to hear what they have to say.
• Put it in perspective: Ask your teen what they would do in a challenging situation so they’re prepared if difficult circumstances arise.

At Any Age

As your child grows into their own perspective, your beliefs may differ. Remember to always keep an open-minded viewpoint when discussing challenging issues. Despite differences, you can always find a way to make your child feel loved and supported.

I hope this helps you when difficult times arise. Being a mom isn’t always easy and sometimes we don’t have the answers or the right words. Please stick around and join my mama tribe by subscribing! You won’t want to miss out on new posts, updates, giveaways, and motherhood quote graphics sent to your inbox for FREE! 

Love, JessXO