Telling Kids About a Family Problem

How can I tell my child...

I've been asked often about explaining tragedies to kids. But sometimes we have to tell our children something hard that isn't on the news, something that only matters to our own family.

Divorce, abandonment, death, deployment, unemployment...

There are, sadly, tons of hard things we may have to explain to our kids about what's happening in our family. When these issues come up, parents often think: "I just won't tell them." We imagine that we're keeping these secrets to protect our kids from fear or worry.

Unfortunately, that's a lie. 

We can't protect our kids from fear or worry - they pick up on ours. Worse, they imagine all kinds of terrible problems

and blame themselves. 

We hide the truth from kids because of our own fear and worry, but also from guilt. 

Don't waste time feeling guilty.

Instead give your kids the information they need and the lesson you want them to remember.