TELL IT LIKE IT IS

I'd like to share a story with you which I heard the other day. It's a sad story from which there is much to learn.

It concerns a little boy who we'll call Bobby. He was about 5 years old and was an only child. He was very well cared for and his parents loved him dearly. In fact they loved him so much that when his Daddy became gravely ill, they decided to shield Bobby from the dreadful facts of his father's condition.

He was just told that his father was poorly and had had to take to his bed (he and his wife had separate rooms because his coughing kept her awake). The months passed and his Daddy became more and more ill. When the doctor called to see his father, Bobby was ushered out of the room 'for his own good'. Bobby tried to ask about his poorly father but was just told not to worry - everything will be alright.

Then one night, around 2 a.m. , Bobby was awakened by the sound of his Daddy calling for help. He nervously went into the bedroom to find his weak and feeble father asking for a glass of water. Glad to be able to help in some way, Bobby went downstairs and brought him a refreshing tumbler of water which his Daddy gratefully quaffed. Bobby went back to bed, happy that he had been able to help his poor father even in such a simple way.

Tragically, the next morning, Bobby's mother discovered that her husband had died in the early hours. The doctor was called for and although his Mum did tell Bobby that his Daddy had died, he was asked to stay in his room to save him from the sad facts.

Bobby couldn't help himself. He listened at the bedroom door. All he managed to hear was the Doctor saying 'Of course, it was the drink that killed him'.

Bobby told no-one about his guilty knowledge that he had killed his father by getting him that glass of water. It was a very long time before he finally learned that his father had died of cirrhosis of the liver caused by chronic alcoholism.

The moral of the story is that we best protect our children by giving them knowledge.