What to say to children about self harming scars..

[bluecheque4595]

Just this.. what should I tell my 13 yr old son when he asks about the scars on my arm?

I dont feel bad about it and havent self harmed since I was 15 or 16.

I dont want to lie but also dont want to give them ideas.

Sorry, I don't have any advice, but didn't want to read and run. Would also be interested to see if anyone does have ideas as I expect I'll have to field the same sort of questions in the future.

Likewise

And here. They're ancient but still very visible, I should probably have got them stitched at the time, my c-section scar has vanished so I'm essentially a good healer .

I'm winging it with the dc's for now and always wear 3/4 length sleeve t-shirts. I'm very quick when we go swimming, cossie on, towel around shoulders, then towel off quickly and into the pool.

Lara, that sounds like a fab way of dealing with it and FWIW, I think that talking about your scars is an excellent platform to talking about the issue of self harm and keeping communications alive, as it seems to be endemic in some schools right now :(

That's how I did it with DD. Not glamorous or dark or romantic, just silly, painful and a PITA being stuck in long sleeves and unable to go swimming without being stared at.

I told mine it was the cat down the road

Thanks for replies so far. I dont hide mine particularly and nobody asks but my son asked the other day and the children all went quiet, listening in obviously thinking there was some great exciting "drama" going on so I refused to answer.

I dont want my children growing up thinking what I did was a good idea. I will try and downplay it and act like it was silly, nothing more, at a time when I havent got all of them staring saucer eyes at me. (I hate drama and being the centre of attention).