Children are born blank and they are curious about everything around them which they don’t know. Sometimes it is hard for adults and parents to answer them when it comes to tricky questions such as related to where they came from. “Answering kids’ questions about sex is one of the responsibilities many parents dread most.”(The Nemours Foundation). The challenge is “How much information is too much and how can we ask our children to feel safe in a world where these random events take place?”( motherIn)
Parents and adults will struggle about telling the truth or covering it with lies. From my point of view, if it is necessary, we should cover it with lies if they are too young to know about the truth, think about a smart way to cover it of course.”“When facing a sensitive question, you may wish to give a truthful response but feel your children aren’t ready for the details,”( motherIn). But from this website it argues that ” the subject shouldn’t be avoided. Parents can help foster healthy feelings about sex if they answer kids’ questions in an age-appropriate way.”(The Nemours Foundation). So I will also be researching about is it alright to lie to children. ”
“Telling the truth means starting with simple facts and building in more complex information as our child grows up.”( motherIn) i think this is true, we should ease our way in to tell the truth to the children according to their age.
Kids curious about their body, “They notice the differences between boys and girls and are naturally curious.”(The Nemours Foundation).
Here are some question kids ask:
Where babies come from?
“Depending on the child’s age, you can say that the baby grows from an egg in the mommy’s womb, pointing to your stomach, and comes out of a special place, called the vagina. There is no need to explain the act of lovemaking because very young kids will not understand the concept.”(The Nemours Foundation).
Death
“To a two to four year old you may say “dead means a person or animal stops breathing and their body doesn’t work anymore.” But to an six to eight year old you could try a little more information like: “Nobody really knows exactly what happens when we die, but our bodies stop working: we stop breathing, the heart doesn’t beat, the muscles don’t work and the brain stops working for ever.””( motherIn)
“If someone dies after an illness, for example, you could say, ‘Sometimes people get sick and they can’t get better – but most people get better’,” Hall suggests.”(Baker)
“Why does my friend have two daddies?”
“Your friend has two daddies who love him because he is lucky. Some children have a mum and a dad, some have just a mum or just a dad. Some have two dads or two mums who look after them.” or “Families come in all shapes and sizes and the only thing that matters is if there is love in the family.”(Baker)
“does Santa exist?” ‘As long as you believe in Santa, then he is real’,” (Baker)
“If parents are worrying about the “lie” factor, Tucci encourages them to explain that Santa is part of a story – and sometimes stories end up being true and sometimes they don’t.” (Baker)
Divorce (why one of the parents not coming back home)
“Children should know that they are loved and that the divorce is not their fault”(Karuppaswamy,Judith, undated)
here’s a website about what parents should do and tell their children when they are at this stage. If the children is aware of the separate of their parents, parents should assure to their children about they are still being love, it won’t be much changes and who are they living with and yet they can still see the other parents often. If they are not aware of it and it is still too early for them to handle, I think it is best to try to avoid it and ease them in with the truth when they are older or when they ask questions.
Do I have a daddy?/ I want a mommy!/Where’s My Daddy?
‘your father had some wonderful qualities, but parenting wasn’t one of them.’ (Wilson)
“He was young and he wasn’t ready to be a father.”, “We lived far away from one another.” or “He needed time to deal with some issues of his own.” (Wolf), parents need to assure that children don’t feel that it is their fault.
Here’s a website about how to handle kids questioning their single parent.
In works cited section:
Baker, F.(undated).Tricky questions all kids ask. Bodyandsoul. Retrieved from http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/pregnancy+parenting/parenting+tips/tricky+questions+all+kids+ask,10789
Karuppaswamy N. ,Judith A. (undated). The Effect of Divorce on Children: What Makes A DIfference. Retrieved from http://www.extension.purdue.edu/providerparent/family-child%20relationships/effectdivorce.htm
motherIn(undated). Answering chidren’s tricky questions. Retrieved from http://www.motherinc.com.au/magazine/kids/kids-education/11-answering-chidrens-tricky-questions
The Nemours Foundation(undated). Questions & Answers about sex. Kids Health. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/questions_sex.html
WIlson,J.(undated).Where’s My Daddy?. Babyzone. Retrieved from http://www.babyzone.com/mom/single-parent/wheres-my-daddy_68650?page=2
Wolf,J. (undated). What Explanation Can I Give My Child About Her Absent Father?. SIngle Parents. Retrieved from http://singleparents.about.com/od/communicatingwiththekids/f/absent_father.htm
Project: Visual Express-ion 3 