Shh … Please Don’t Tell … {Stopping the Gossip Cycle}

It’s no secret that moms like to talk.

Unfortunately, more often than not, talk turns into the sharing of information that was intended to be confidential. That confidential conversation gets shared with another mom, and another, and maybe even a husband.

Soon what was once a sacred piece of a mother’s heart, her burden, her pain, has now become community gossip.

And after both experiencing and observing the cycle of broken confidentiality, I’m making a plea for it to stop.

Stopping this cycle starts with me … and you.

It starts with us.

I would be lying if I said I did not occasionally fall into this trap, so please know I’m writing this to myself as I am to you.

After observing someone I love have a difficult conversation with someone whom she loves, I asked, “Besides myself, you don’t have anyone else you can share this with?” Tears in her eyes she said, “No, because everyone has a big mouth. People have forgotten the sacred virtue of confidentiality.”

She’s right.

We’ve forgotten.

That doesn’t mean we can’t remember.

Motherhood is one of the most brutiful (brutal + beautiful) journeys we will probably ever embark upon. This brutiful journey is sure to have many amazing, Facebook share worthy, celebration calling moments. But let’s be honest, we are also also going to experience our fair share of hurt, shame, embarrassment, pain and disappointment … just to name a few.

When walking this journey, there will be times another will want to confide in you. They will be in a vulnerable place. They may say more than they planned to share. They’ll share their heart, their pain, their burden and after they are finished pouring out their heart, they ask “Please keep this confidential?

Will you?

I’m writing this to ask you when you nod your head and say “Of course. I would never share this with anyone.”

That you actually mean it.

Let’s bring back the sacred virtue of confidentiality.

Let’s be the shoulders for another mom to lean on when they feel they can’t keep going and need to talk and share the struggles of their heart in confidence.

Let’s agree to no longer be the mouth that shares another women’s pain.

Let’s honor the virtue of confidentiality.

Now time to spread this message … share with all your friends.