- Keep communication open
There should be no secrets that your child keeps from you at a young age. Discuss the importance to tell a parent about abuse or danger when someone asks them to keep a secret.
Aha Parenting reported:
“According to Marilyn Van Derbur, author of Miss America by Day, “Those who told immediately or very shortly after the abuse and were believed and supported showed relatively few long-term traumatic symptoms. Those who either did not tell (typically due to fear or shame) or who told and encountered a negative, blaming, disbelieving or ridiculing response were classified as extremely traumatized.””
Feelings of fear, sadness, or uncomfortableness are natural emotions and should be relayed to your children that way.
Tell your kids situations where you were feeling this way and then ask them to tell you about when they were experiencing these emotions.
Let your child know any time they feel uncomfortable, sad, or scared that you should talk about it together so you can help them and find solutions to feel happy again.