Journal+7-Reaction


 * What are your views about shielding children from unpleasant truths? When is it important for a child to know such truths? When is it better to keep a child in the dark? And, is it right for an adult to lie to a child to "protect" him or her?**

My views are mixed when shielding children from unpleasant truths. I'm not sure whether it would be better to let a child know about truths when they ask, or to keep them in the dark so that they aren't scared. I guess it also depends on the situation.

Though I have mixed feelings on the topic, I think that in most situations, it is best for a child to know the truth, especially if the child asks. However, I also believe that all unpleasant truths must be approached with care. One doesn't want to approach topics too quickly, overwhelm the child, and traumatize them for life. Such topics, such as "the talk" must be approached not too late, but not too early. A child mustn't receive "the talk" too early because the child might not be able to handle knowing something so big so early, but they also mustn't receive "the talk" too late, because they will learn about it from their peers in school anyway, and their peers, to say the least, are not the best teachers in the world. Other topics, such as how terrible some be people in the world are, also must be approached with care, so as not to scare the child. This is oftentimes done by talking about the dangers of the world, and how to avoid them, or how to call for help. The fact that there are ways to avoid the danger, and that there is help is very comforting to a child.

So, to rap up this rant, I will recap. I believe that it is typically important for a child to know unpleasant truths, especially when they ask. When explaining an unpleasant truth to a child, it must be approached with care. Lastly, it is wrong for an adult to lie to a child to "protect" him or her, because doing that doesn't offer any protection at all.