Whenever you get two moms together, the one topic that they will consistently talk about is inevitably about their children.  This is very natural because children dominate much of any mother’s life.  Mothers also enjoy talking about them because after all, they are our progeny.

I remember when we only had one child (8mo), we would often get together with another family who also had one kid at the time.  We had weekly dinners with each other and usually by the end of the dinner, we all realized one thing; once again, we talked about our children’s BM’s (bowel movements) in one form or another.  It never dawned on us that BM’s aren’t exactly a good dinner conversation piece.  Of course we’d never dream of talking about such things before we had any kids. Having children changes things. .  . A WHOLE LOT!

Mothers talk about their children since they’re babies and the topics vary from BM’s to nursing to discipline to feeding to personal habits to hygiene and to any topics that naturally come up in everyday life.  While it is fine to talk about one’s children, sometimes we get too carried away — and we begin speaking about our children in an uncharitable way.  Whether they’re still infants or especially as they grow older, I believe we should be careful to only share about things that are not embarrassing to them.  Why?  Because very often, others’ deepest impression of your children will be that which we as parents give!  Do you really want for others’ first thoughts of your child being his/her lazy attitude, sin issues, bed wetting ordeals, or bad personal hygiene?  I think not.

To clarify, it’s not uncharitable to share about such things in private with another person because you are seeking advice or help.  What I believe to be uncharitable is how easily when in a social context such as a women’s group, church social, or homeschooling support group, we freely talk about our children’s less than flattering habits.  Even if the things you speak of are true, that does not make it right to share it with just anyone.  In essence, we are committing the sin of gossip, in this case about our children.

Instead of gossiping and effectively tearing down our children’s reputation in public, we need to cherish them and praise them (though not boastfully).  Mothers need to respect their children’s privacy.  If they’re embarrassed about certain things that you deem as inconsequential, the best thing you ought to do is not talk about them with anyone.  We should always keep in mind that even though our children may be young and small in size, they have feelings and their own individuality.