Don’t Sugarcoat (the Kid-Friendly Version).
Today, our youngest Henriette is celebrating her 5th birthday. Birthdays are a big deal in our family, so her “big” weekend featured a small Candyland-themed party, as was appropriate given the global circumstances.
Today is also her big sister Audrey’s first day ever of e-Learning, simulating second-grade curriculum through 5-6 daily modules at home. I was impressed by one of the assignments: “Describe how it feels to do school at home. What is good about it? Not-so-good about it?”
I am reminded in these strange and uncertain times of a truism from my mother: the truth always comes out. So tell the truth. The first time. In #hacksthebook terms, this translated to “Don’t Sugarcoat.” (And of course, tell the truth. Always. The first time.)
In this COVID era, this to us has meant telling the truth to our girls, like: “All of our grandparents cannot come to celebrate Henriette’s birthday with her as they are ‘resting’ at home.” But I’ll amend this Life Hack #81 in the time of COVID to say “Don’t sugarcoat, but for children, use child-friendly terms to explain the world around them.” Psychology today has solid advice in this regard here. Stay safe and well!
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