Confidentiality Should Never Rest on a Child’s Shoulders
Sometimes I think about the things children hear simply because they are nearby.
Not because anyone intended them to hear.
Not because anyone wanted them involved.
But because some conversations happen around them rather than with them.
As a Deaf parent, I have spent time reflecting on how easily children can become aware of information they were never meant to carry.
Sometimes it is personal.
Sometimes it is emotional.
Sometimes it is information that feels too big to understand fully.
A child may hear it.
Remember it.
Worry about it.
And yet have nowhere to place it.
The adults around them may move on from the conversation.
The child may still be trying to make sense of what they heard.
The more I reflect on this, the more I believe children deserve boundaries that protect both their innocence and their emotional well-being.
Some things are simply not theirs to carry.
Confidentiality should never rest on a child's shoulders.
This reflection comes from my perspective as a Deaf parent, shaped by my family, my experiences, and the CODA voices I have listened to over time.
