Children can surprise anyone with difficult questions at any time, and in most instances when it is least expected. Child development research shows that kids have distinctive, almost mysterious capability to ascertain sadness, anxiety or confusion to the people around them. Moreover, children can easily notice in case there is a predicament in their household, society or even the world in general. Keeping information a secret and avoiding talking about the topics children ask is a great mistake, and instead one should use simple language to explain the situation concerning a child’s development stage.

One of the most challenging questions that children ask is about an absent father or mother. Naturally, a child will ask why they do not have a father or mother, unlike their friends. Despite it being painful, the remaining parent needs to answer it. Thus, it is important as such a parent to be prepared with what to answer the child and how to explain it when they ask. Moreover, such a matter can also be handled by explaining it to the kid before he or she asks. Although in some instances one cannot tell children why their other parents left, there are certain ways that a child can be explained to which can make them feel more secure and satisfied with the answer that they get.

After a divorce, separation or any other factor that leads to the absence of one of the parents, the other parent should be aware that at some point, the child will ask about the absence. Thus, it is essential to be prepared for this challenging question. One can do this by setting up various talking points, with exact phrases or words that one will need to discuss when the child asks the question. In certain instances, one can tell the truth about why the ex left to avoid the children blaming themselves. For example, in the cases where long distance caused the separation. The importance of this is that a child will not think that they did something that made their other parent leave.

A single parent should avoid using unkind remarks about the other parent to their children. Despite it being difficult, one should always figure out a positive thing to tell the child about their other parent, Importantly, the child still has the ex as the father or mother regardless of what happened between the parents, Therefore, presenting their other parent as all bad harms the child the more. Thus, when children ask about it, one should be cautious about the information they give. Moreover, providing more information than necessary is risky and inappropriate.

Although this is a very sensitive and robust topic to discuss with your child, parents should trust themselves in handling it and avoid using intermediaries to explain the scenario. Although one could not be giving the perfect answers to the questions, acknowledging their hurt and showing empathy is essential since it reassures the children that they can count on you.

In conclusion, children ask difficult questions, and it is vital for anyone living around them to be prepared. One of the most challenging topics that children ask is on the issue of an absent parent. The present parent should be prepared to answer this question, trust themselves in handling it, avoid talking ill of the other parent and reassure the child that they can always count on them.