Unshockable
The conversation in my house is pretty open with few taboo subjects. I realised this again recently when my eldest daughter’s boyfriend was with us for dinner. He seemed to cope well, and I guess it was an early initiation to his girlfriend’s family. Over the chicken fettucine, the topics ranged from body parts and their many functions, to drugs, to relationships and the sometimes-humorous misdemeanours of extended family members. Everything was up for analysis and opinion from the youngest (14 years) to the oldest (21 years, 43 if you include the adults). My mum was great at being open to any topic, but even so - I do remember hiding some things I was going through during my teenage years, to protect her; to avoid her worrying, or being shocked. In hindsight, I imagine I could have benefited from her perspective. So, my plan as a parent, has been to be unshockable – so I can do my best to be open to the stuff they want to tell me. I don’t want my kids to filter