Why Don't We Talk About These Things
I grew up in the “children should be seen and not heard” era, so pretty much all topics were off limits. While I did have a lot of conversations with my parents, there were so many things that were not spoken about. Despite our unlimited access to the world wide web, there are still so many things we don’t talk about. Yes, we have the internet now and can google things but it is not the same as having open discussions with peers, friends and family.
Money: WHY don’t we openly talk about money. I am not just talking about the cost of living. I am more talking about salaries. We know that there is a gap between what women and people of color earn but we still don’t talk about it enough. I have never really understood why it is such a private topic?
Sex: I am not implying we all need to be sharing when, where and how we had sex but rather we need to be more open about the challenges we (women) face when it comes to sex. There are so many things we aren’t told about when it comes to sex but because it is considered such a taboo topic, we often don’t ask for help or advice.
Menopause: I think I have beaten this one to death but honestly, as women, we need to be informed more about this and not when we are knee deep in it. We need to talk to women about this in their 20s or even earlier because it impacts everyone differently at different ages. The discussion is also not simply a HRT discussion but rather information about the changes you can expect. I have read so many women say they thought they were going mad, when in fact, it was just perimenopause.
Abortion: This discussion is always a “would you or wouldn’t you” one. But there is so much more to abortion and I feel it needs to be spoken about so much more. It was never discussed in school or anywhere actually. I completely understand that this is a highly controversial topic for the conservatives, but the reality is that it is something woman have (or should have) a right to and we need to talk about it.
Parenting “different” children: There are thousands of books of parenting but very few on how to navigate life with a child who doesn’t fit the mould. I am not talking about an autistic child or a child with ADD – there is lots out there for those parents as well. I am talking about the child who really is strong-willed, who challenges everyone, not because they are being rude but because they genuinely want to know your credentials. The child who just doesn’t sleep. The child who doesn’t want to dress like other children or be with other children. We don’t talk about those kids – the ones in the middle.
These are just a few of the things I think should have been discussed more but there are so many more things that we stigmatize unnecessarily.
