I didn't ponder much about what my kids might say to me having a front row seat in the movie I call, "My Life" for some years now. But in recent years, the questions, comments and concerns have been surfacing from a seven, eight, fourteen and fifteen year old. They are curious.
I have been asked questions from, why years ago I wasn't married when I was pregnant to "Do you love my dad?" I was also questioned about why parents allow their daughters to dress "ratchet (terrible) with booties (backsides) showing?" I guess I am supposed to speak for them too.
The questions kept coming about things like: why God did the things he did in the Bible--like let people die, what did I do when I was their age back in the day, could I let them see a photo when I was a kid, and even comments about things they didn't like about other relatives. I had to agree with most of what they said when it came to relatives.
Children are observant and they know who is friend and who is foe in one's family. They also know when parents have "issues" with one another. They also don't like when relatives say things like, "Do what I say, not as I do." One child made a comment like, "Aren't they supposed to be teaching us?"
They also know when they are being taken advantage of and don't mind speaking up when they see lazy adults not doing their share. They know when they are being short-changed funds too. One son told me, "(Unnamed) said he was going to give me more money than he gave me for doing some work." He wasn't too happy.
Children remember what we say and do. They are shocked when we start revealing that we made mistakes "back in the day..." They are impressed when you make smart decisions and their eyes get big when you tell them things like: when you fought someone and won, went somewhere fun, and when you got a lot of money and bought things that you always wanted.
The conversations can go from simple to intense in a matter of moments. I found myself having to censor some things about my life, simply because, like them, I have my privacy and I didn't want them using what they knew to excuse their own bad decisions. "Well mom did it, so it's okay." Some things are just not right no matter what kind of spin we put on them and children will call you out on them sooner or later usually when they are having one of their rebellious moments.
I am honestly happy that I have curious children who question me deeply at times and feel comfortable enough to talk to me about what their friends say and do. I just keep them in prayer and continue to maintain a safe relationship and environment where they don't have to walk on egg shells, worry, fight, lie, and do other things to survive.
Nicholl McGuire wrote
When Mothers Cry. Get your copy here.
