https://www.completerehabsolutions.com/blog/q11odkr 
https://mandikaye.com/blog/gju2x4en “Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” — C.S. Lewis
https://merangue.com/qfz4ir3nmm One of the reasons that both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics speak so highly and so frequently about saints (as do some of the Anglo-Catholics) is that we know that our children will meet hard times and cruel enemies. The saints show them how to carry out the Christian faith in difficult circumstances. The saints have set a record, not of perfection, but rather of living out the life of Christ in various settings, by male and female, in various cultures, by people of various ages who live in different ages. In the saints we have a record of people who successfully became Christians and carried out a Christian life. In some cases, that Christian life was lived an extremely short time, as they converted and almost immediately became martyrs. They became examples of how to make the right decision in incredibly difficult circumstances. In other cases, they lived long lives and have given us a picture of how to live out a Christian life, well thought out and planned. In some saints, we see how they lived out lives in which they grew more and more into the likeness of Christ. Our children (and we) need that knowledge.
https://sugandhmalhotra.com/2024/08/07/feb2fuonvm9 Fantasy and hero stories can also help feed into that. Those stories present great heroes, the trials and tribulations they go through to eventually win their kingdom, or their spouse, or the victory against overwhelming odds. When one of our children reads the Chronicles of Narnia, or when one reads the Lord of the Rings, or even when one reads a well-written heroic story, they are learning that victory is worth fighting for. They also find out that almost every great victory comes only through suffering and with great loss. Sometimes, friends are lost and betrayal happens. In some ways, fairy tales and fantasies better prepare a child for real life than what we see today. The child who is wrapped in a “safe zone,” who is issued “trigger warnings,” etc., will know less of real life in the long run than the “dreamer” who has his/her nose buried in fairy tales and fantasy books that often reveal to him/her the reality of the fallen world in which we live. The helicopter parent who is always protecting their child may leave them vastly unprepared for the reality of life in the world, while the fairy tale or the fantasy shows the dark side of reality in all its evil glory.
Note that this does not mean that we should put up with bullying, or racist language, etc. Rather, it is to say that our attempts at protection have become little more than trying to insulate our children from any type of even mildly upsetting experience. Yet, in real life that child who grow up will be totally unprepared as an adult for the reality of what they will meet. It is understandable that we wish to keep our children innocent. That was my wish as well. But, through the stories of the saints, through the fairy tales, through the fantasies, we can help guide our children’s understanding so that they are neither wrapped in bubble wrap nor exposed willy-nilly to all that is bad, but rather safely guided into an understanding that evil abounds, that good must fight it, and that the victory will be difficult and may not even be achieved while one is alive.
https://www.psicologialaboral.net/2024/08/07/aw670gyiv4m So, let our children hear of brave knights and heroic courage.
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