“Most things are good, and they are the strongest things, but there are evil things too, and you are not doing a child a favor by trying to shield him from reality. The important thing is to teach a child that good can always triumph over evil.”
– Walt Disney
As parents, we want to shield our children from the horrors of the world. We would like to have them believe that the world is all rainbows and cupcakes. Many parents go way over to keep pretending that the world is as peachy as they tell their children it is.
While we might do everything in our power to shield our children from the dark side of the world, they will eventually come face to face with it. They will be unprepared because we raised them in denial.
The older they get, the difficult it becomes to process new things. It is like realizing whatever they have believed in has all been a fairytale, a lie. They stress out trying to understand the new reality. They often don’t understand it, or if they do, it breaks their spirit.
Not the Gory Stuff
Nobody is telling you to expose your children to the really dark side of everything wrong with the world. That will ruin their little minds anyway. No, what I am saying is to not shield them from something that is very common, and they are going to have to face it in their lives at one point or another.
Things like death, kidnapping, mental health issues, relationship problems between the parents, violence, sexual harassment, etc. are usually hidden from children. We need to expose them to the basics of these things so that they know to identify the patterns if any of these things happen to them.
Balance it Out
When you introduce them to a new horror and teach them how to be safe and how to tackle the situation if need be, make sure to balance it out with something good that the world has to offer.
Children are very impressionable, and if we keep showing them the bad side of the world, they are going to grow up thinking that the world is bad. Remind your children that human nature has a lot of good in it as well.
Talk to them about the generosity of the global community while you tell them about the dangers of cybercrimes. Use positive sides of things to balance out the negative. This is a good way to help them not lose their innocence and a positive view of the world, but still, be ready to take anything head-on.
Final Thoughts
Yes, the thought of your precious child knowing about the harsh realities makes you squirm, but it is for their own good. While talking about the positive impact of humans may not seem like a big thing, but it can be a source of great comfort when they learn about the big bad wolf.
It is our job to prepare the children for the future, for their adult life. We can’t do that by painting a picture of a world that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Show them the reality but teach them to see the silver lining in every storm.
