They can’t tell, you know. They can’t tell that you’re joking. They don’t understand that sometimes you just need to vent. They don’t know that you and your spouse are frustrated together, rather than at each other. No one informs them that the two of you made up later, when you actually were fighting.

They don’t know.

They don’t quite get the difference between sarcasm and sincere. They don’t pick up on all the context. They’re kids. Even if they’re older, even if they’re pretty smart, they only know what they see, what they hear. They feel vibes. They sense energy.

So you have to be careful. You have to watch yourself. You have to get better at saying, you know what, we don’t need to talk about this right now. At saying, you know what, I don’t need to be saying this at all. You need to cultivate good vibes, good energy, positive feelings, positive comments.

Because they’re picking up on all of it…especially the things that worry them, that stress them out, that make them question whether they’re safe, whether their parents love each other, whether there is something wrong…with them or the world.