Parenting is a difficult and often stressful journey, and there is no one size fits all approach or rules that everyone must follow. With all of the information out there, sometimes it can be hard to make certain parenting choices. Many people struggle with knowing what topics they should talk about with their kids or what ages they should bring said topics up. Children will be taught about many different things in school, but there is still plenty that you should be teaching them at home. Of course, this will look different for every family, but there are some things every kid should know. Here are 3 things you should talk about with your children. 

Aging

You may think you don’t need to talk to your kids about aging because they are so young and will be for a long while still, but it is good to prepare them for this stuff before you or their grandparents reach retirement age or have to move into assisted living facilities. Explain to them that everyone gets older and if you think they are old enough, you can also begin to talk to them about death. Though it can be an uncomfortable topic, it is better for them to understand a little bit about it before a loved one or pet passes away. 

Drugs And Alcohol

This one probably doesn’t need to be brought up until your children are around middle school age, but it is very important to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol before they start learning about this stuff from their peers, and before they become curious about experimenting. Most pre-teens and teenagers will try drugs or alcohol in some form at some point, so it’s important to have conversations with them about it so that they stay safe and don’t make any bad mistakes. 

Future Plans

Talking to your children about whether or not they want to go to college and what types of jobs they may be interested in pursuing is an important thing to do, especially once they are in high school. Of course, it is completely fine if they aren’t sure what to do with their lives or if they change their minds often, but it’s a good thing for them to be thinking about. They don’t know what to expect of reality as an adult, so you should help to guide them and give them advice, but at the end of the day also let them make their own decisions and be there to love and support them.

Having conversations about certain topics with your kids may not always be fun, but it is a necessary part of parenting and will help your children to grow into well-rounded adults.