“Don’t tell Mom”

Please, please, don’t say to your kids “don’t tell your mom” or “don’t tell your dad” when you’re giving them a treat or letting them stay up later or whatever the case.It sets a dangerous precedent. You want them to feel like they can tell their parents anything and that it’s never necessary or acceptable to keep secrets from you.If anyone else ever asked them to not talk to you about something, it would be a huge red flag and you’d be concerned. So make sure they aren’t getting mixed signals about when to keep secrets and when not to.The nuance of “it’s ok to hide from Mom that Dad bought me ice cream because I was asked to keep a secret” next to “it’s ok to hide from my mom that our neighbor invites me in to see his puppies because I was asked to keep a secret” is often lost on young kids.Even though I’m sure parents who use this phrase jokingly are well intentioned, please, please, don’t take the risk of confusing the kids.Never ask them to keep a secret from Mom or Dad. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2EZhaWS