NPR: Secrets Worth Keeping?

Secrets Worth Keeping?

How much do you know about your parents' past? My mom always told me she'd tell me all her crazy stories "when I was old enough." Well, mom... I'm still waiting! Come on, dish it up. I want to know everything (at least I think I do).

While I wait for my mom's BIG reveal, I wonder whether she has kept some of her secrets for my sake ... or for her own. It occurs to me that sometimes parents keep their pasts hidden to salvage their own innocence, not just their children's.

Take a listen to today's segment with Liza Mundy, who wrote about her dilemma about what to tell her children in this week's Washington Post Magazine.

And let us know what you think. When should a parent lift the curtain on their past? And how much should they reveal?

I'll be back later today with a post you won't want to miss - a video of the Barbershop! You'll meet the guys who you hear every week.

Douglas Hopper

3:31 PM ET | 05- 5-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

In the interest of full disclosure, I don't have kids but I find it interesting that parents worry about this sort of thing. Of course you should pull a veil over some of the icky details of your youth. After all, just because you're a parent doesn't mean you're not a human being. I think it is MUCH more important to not behave as if you never lived a life or made bad choices. I think along with occasionally admitting your fallibile it is crucial to allow children to glimpse their parent's humanity the particulars don't matter as much. As my mother used to tell us, "This is not a democracy, it's a benevolent dictatorship". Not a bad way to raise a family.

Sent by Raul | 5:46 PM ET | 05-07-2008

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