Growing up can be a difficult time in a child’s life, and keeping worries and problems to themselves is not as rare as you may think. Offering guidance and advice can be difficult, but getting your child to speak out and open up could make the biggest difference to your relationship.
Parenting on Female First
Railway Children and their long-term partner Aviva have revealed that 1 in 4 children admit to keeping issues to themselves because they are too scared to talk to their parents.
According to the survey, as many as 100,000 children run away from home each year with family changes, death and divorce being the main issues.
Railway Children and Aviva have introduced ‘Awkward Conversations Campaign’ which looks to encourage parents to tackle tough conversations with their kids, after new research showed that 1 in every 4 children find it hard to talk to their parents about the issues they are facing.
The study surveyed 500 parents and children (aged 11-16) and found that despite 95% of parents believing they are open to tackling difficult subjects, many parents aren’t broaching topics such as family changes, divorce or death with their children.
Tackling conversations about these difficult topics could help prevent children from feeling isolated and thinking of running away from home.
www.avivaconversations.co.uk invites parents to upload their most awkward conversation to raise awareness of the need for open dialogue at home and to help Railway Children support those who have no one to turn.
For every conversation included in the Awkward Conversations hub and/or any share directly from the hub, Aviva will donate £2 to Railway Children, up to a maximum of £100,000 or until the campaign closes on 25 August (whichever comes first).
Andy McCullough, Head of UK Policy & Public Affairs at Railway Children, which supports vulnerable young people alone and at risk on Britain’s streets, said: “Every five minutes a child runs away from home in the UK. That's 100,000 children under 16 every year. Not having someone to talk to about these problems can result in feelings of desperation and helplessness for a child, which could lead them to think about running away from home. But talking to your child and having open conversations, regardless of how awkward they might be, may be all it takes to prevent them from considering running away from home.
Psychiatrist Dr Sandra Scott said: “Every parent will know that having awkward conversations is a necessary part of parenting. But establishing an open and honest pattern of communication between parents and children from a young age is incredibly important. For parents, maintaining this for the future when their children grow older and face different, and more difficult, challenges, lets them know they always have someone to confide in.
Heather Smith, Marketing Director of General Insurance at Aviva said: “100,000 children run away from home in the UK each year and the true extent and scale of the problem is hidden and more can, and should, be done to address this. Through our work with Railway Children, we know that tackling tough conversations is vital to ensure children don’t become isolated and feel that running away is their only option. We are proud to be working closely with Railway Children and the money raised will provide much needed funding to support their continued work in the UK, helping vulnerable young people alone and at risk on Britain’s streets.
Watch the clip below to see watch the awkard conversations parents have had with their child.
Visit www.avivaconversations.co.uk to see what awkward conversations parents are having with their children and support the campaign. Please see the website for full terms and conditions.