In this video I will share how we introduced the topic to our children. Please take note that this scenario is one in which both parents were on the same page. I acknowledge that this is only one of many scenarios. I will address talking to children from a mixed-faith marriage standpoint in a future video.
When we discussed this topic with our kids for the first time it was the most terrifying part of our entire transition. The reason why it was hard for us was because:
– We didn’t want to hurt their little hearts
– We didn’t know how to say that the people we trusted had been hiding things from us
– We didn’t know what the future was going to look like
Our first conversation went something like this – sitting on the floor in a circle together we said:
– Mom and Dad have learned some new things that we never knew before about this church.
– This has felt hard and sad and we have cried and felt worried about talking to you about this.
– We are not sure what this will mean for our family moving forward, but what we do know is that we want to have an open conversation where everyone feels safe to share their feelings.
– We want to teach you about the word differentiation, what it means and how will use differentiation in our family moving forward.
– We may all experience this phase very differently, some may want to go to church still while others won’t. Some may want to do more learning with us, while others may not.
– Everyone has permission to explore and experience this in their own unique way.
**Please check out the Mormon Transitions podcast for great episodes about how to talk to kids of all ages during the transition phase.
**This is just the first of dozens of conversations we had with our children. I may share others in future videos.