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 * 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?

I think that shielding children from unpleasant truths is dependent on the age and what the circumstance is. If the child is only 5 years old and is adopted, it doesn't seem right to tell the child that his or her parents had died from a horrible accident. If the child is 21 years old and in the same situation, it seems more right to tell the 21 year old because they are older and able to handle the truth better. I find that it's important to know the truth on a need-to-know basis, but also if the person gets caught into saying the truth. If the truth is going to hurt the person very much, I think that it is okay to keep the child in the dark until they are able to handle it without much effect. I don't think that it's okay to lie to the child to protect him or her, but it would be better to say that you can't say the truth. But I suppose that if the child was persistent then it would be okay. Like all these questions, it is dependent on the situation. **