THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

#SMED11

‘The elephant in the room’ refers to an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored or goes unaddressed.

Often people choose to be in denial and/or push reality way back into their memory banks. It is often easier to ignore the truth than to face up to and deal with it.
I am no psychologist but I believe some people prefer to bottle up their feelings whilst others are more expressive - the latter cannot let things hang in the air - it must be cleared immediately.

For others, facing up to and acknowledging the truth might unleash a flood of accompanying emotions. Often these emotions might be too difficult to deal with – hence not addressing the ‘elephant in the room’.

A few examples where parents in particular, ignore or refuse to address the truth:

- Children playing truant at school

- Daughters leading the life as ‘taxi queens’

- Substance abuse by their children : dagga , heroin, methamphetamine, etc

- Children involved in bullying at school

- Daughters involved with ‘sugar daddies’

Often when confronted, parents would vehemently deny that their children are involved in any of the afore-mentioned. In most instances they would shoot it down as malicious rumours started by jealous family members and friends.

It has often been proven, that over time – the ‘rumours’ would eventually prove to be true and parents end up with egg on their face, together with the parental pain and anguish of losing their children to drugs, gangsterism, etc, - all because they refused to address the ‘elephant in the room’.

In conclusion, painful as it might be, as parents, is it not in one’s interest to equip oneself with knowledge and skills to be able to identify and deal with the ‘elephant in the room’?