11 yr old came back from a friend's place yesterday and told me she 'explained everything' to four girls. some of what she explained was wrong and some was stuff i never told her we have talked. but i talk like a doctor and she clearly filled the gaps from videos. now the other mothers will hear some version of it with my name attached. how do i fix this without making her feel silly in front of her friends
Doctor parent here too. Our daughter's friends used to ask her about every injection. What helped was telling her she can always say 'I'll ask my mum and tell you'. Took the pressure of being the expert off her.
Only me at home with my son, he is 8, so this talk will be my job also one day and I have no idea how. Reading the replies.
Wrong information moves faster in that group than anything we say. What worked for us was a good book on it that she could lend around. Her friends read it in pairs and turned up with much better questions.
My elder one is in her teens now and still remembers which friend told her what at eleven, so the friend-group version does stick. I would sit with her alone first, ask her to explain to you what she told them, and correct it as a conversation rather than a test. As for the other mothers, would it help to tell one or two of them yourself, before they hear it second-hand?
What exactly was wrong? 'Some of it was wrong' could be a small detail or it could be something that frightens an eleven year old. That decides how fast you need to fix it.
i work with kids this age and the one who becomes 'the one who knows' usually enjoys it a bit. she probably felt very grown up that evening. i'd let her keep some of that while you correct the rest.
Four girls, four myths here too. Ours came home from the same kind of evening convinced you can't swim during your period. I'd invite the whole gang over and be the boring correct grown-up for twenty minutes. Snacks first.
the snacks plan might work. she'd die of embarrassment though. trying the alone version first like someone said above, then we'll see
Keep going
More from the parents who were here.