Talking with Your Child About Safe and Unsafe Secrets

Free Companion Guide

A woman and a boy sitting on orange chairs facing each other, engaging in conversation. The woman is wearing a blue dress and red shoes, and the boy is wearing an orange shirt, blue jeans, and red and white shoes.

Talking with your child about secrets can feel difficult, especially when you’re trying not to scare them, overcomplicate the conversation, or say the wrong thing.

This free companion guide gives parents and caregivers simple language, age-specific conversation starters, and a calm framework for knowing what to say, when to say it, and how to respond if a child shares something hard.

That language accurately reflects the actual guide, which was created to help parents begin these conversations without frightening children or freezing up in the moment.

What’s Inside

  • The Feel–Pause–Act framework for navigating difficult conversations

  • Simple Sparkly Secret vs. Stingy Secret language children can remember

  • Age-specific conversation starters for children ages 4–5, 6–7, and 8 and older

  • What to say first if your child tells you something difficult

  • Five questions that can help keep communication open

  • Red flags to notice without creating unnecessary fear or anxiety

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