“What was your childhood like?” “Did you smoke?” “Did you have a significant other before marriage?”
“How was I born?” These types of queries are often raised by kids to their parents.
Children are curious to know about their parents’ past as they want to understand them and learn about their relationships from the bygone days.
It is the duty of parents to answer convincingly and not have an evasive attitude towards their kids.
Parents should be truthful while holding such conversations with their children, but, at the same time, they should be tactical while handling such conversations.
Here are a few reasons why parents should be prudently candid about their past with their children:
1. Kids can learn from your trials and tribulations
2. You earn the trust of your kids
When parents are open and communicative with their children, they earn their trust. Children will refrain from divulging honestly if the parents are too tight or restrictive in front of them. Parents need to connect with their children on a personal level to understand their problems and suggest solutions at the same time.
3. Relatability with your child is important
Children will see a reflection of themselves in you, a greater understanding with your child will nurture a love for you in their heart. They’ll aim to be responsible and creative so that they can make you gleam with joy in their lives. Try being a parent to whom kids can go to whenever they have to deal with a problem without hesitance.
4. Kids learn “to err is human”
When the kid finds that their parents have also made mistakes but sustained as well, they will realize that making mistakes is a part of life. Children build self-confidence from their parent’s care, honesty and clarity. When children realize that parents have learned from their mistakes and are better persons now, they will start trusting the process of growth and development.
5. Let your kid know the reality from you
Whether in the present or 20 years hence, truth will always unravel in front of kids, so it is better they get to know about your past life from you. This will make the bond between parents and children stronger and kids will be closer to their parents as they age.
