On the face of it this is a pretty harmless statement. My husband often says this to our daughter when he’s taken her for a cheeky McDonalds, given her ice-cream before dinner or sloped off for a sneaky pint at the pub. I’ve also been know to say ‘don’t tell your father’ if I’ve bought her something she really doesn’t need and we really can’t afford.
But, just imagine someone outside of your immediate family saying this; a sports coach, an estranged family member or some other unsavoury person. It doesn’t have the same innocent ring to it does it?
This is why I’ve asked my husband not to say it and I’m going to try not to use it either. I do know that some secrets are safe (gifts, surprise parties or harmless whispering in the playground between friends), but some are not. I don’t want to instil that keeping secrets is okay.
When she is old enough, I hope to teach her the difference between good and bad secrets but at the moment I think she may be too young.
What do you think?
This great bit of advice was original given to me by my good mate, AnnieQPR.