Why We Don’t Do Secrets in Our Family
There are some conversations you never expect to have so early in your child’s life. Topics like safety, boundaries, and trust feel heavy—especially when your child is only four years old. But in a world where human trafficking and abuse often thrive in silence and secrecy, we’ve realized that starting early isn’t just important—it’s necessary.
In our family, we have a simple rule: we don’t do secrets.
We explain it to our daughter like this:
Surprises are happy things that will be shared soon—like a gift for someone or a planned party. Secrets, on the other hand, are things someone tells you to keep hidden forever, especially from your parents. And in our home, secrets are not okay.
Why? Because secrecy is often where harm hides.
As we shared last week, many forms of abuse—especially those connected to exploitation and trafficking—rely on silence. Predators often use phrases like “this is our little secret” to create a barrier between a victim and those who can protect or help them.
So instead of waiting until our daughter is older, we’re building a foundation now. We remind her often: You can tell us anything. You will never be in trouble for telling the truth. There are no secrets you have to keep from us.
These conversations aren’t always easy. We keep them simple, age-appropriate, and gentle. We don’t want to instill fear—we want to build confidence. We want her to trust her voice, her instincts, and the safety of coming to us.
“Because when secrecy loses its power, so does one of the most effective weapons used in exploitation.”
Hope in Action
Use simple, everyday language to keep communication open—reminding your child, “You can always tell me anything,” and “I will always listen.” Pair that with age-appropriate conversations about body safety and, as they grow, simple explanations of topics like trafficking so they understand safe vs. unsafe situations. When these messages are part of daily life, they build trust and make it easier for children to speak up if something doesn’t feel right.
Making a gift is another way you can put hope into action and change everything for a survivor. When you make a gift to Covered Colorado, you help provide direct support, safe resources, and long-term care for survivors navigating complex situations like the ones described above. We invite you to give today and be part of that work.