Where Did the Magic of Childhood Go?

I keep hitting this subject from different angels. I do this because I keep getting shocked by how young children are constantly being given concepts and pictures that seem to be disturbing. I will not go into the TV, movies and video game rap. Anyone with half a brain can figure out what is violent and what isn't. Anyone with half a brain can see that we often put into effect the causes for later problems. Why , we wonder, do we have a bullying problem? Why, we wonder, do we have violent teenagers? Actually, no brains necessary to figure this out.

Today I am reacting to a conversation my daughter and I had with my four year old grand daughter. She was asking about being born. She was approaching the subject from different directions. We weren't 'getting' her concern. We were telling her about how happy the birth was and how she came out when she was ready to see the world. She still wasn't quite satisfied.

Then she said, "So you put me in your tummy. I floated around in there until I was ready to be born , and then the doctor took a big knife and cut through Mummy and pulled me out."

"No!" we said, "there was no big knife, and you just came out when you wanted to see Mummy and Daddy and the whole wide world."

She had a very worried look, and told us that her friend Joy had come out by a big knife cutting open her Mummy's stomach and there was lots of blood. She said she wanted kids but all this blood frightened her.

She is four. Joy is either four or almost five. What happened to "The stork brought you" or You were an angel who came to be our best girl?". When we give very young kids graphic facts, we have no idea how they are pictured, how they are carried around and shared. How do we know what happens in the minds of kids? I am all for honesty. I am all for education. But, I am also for lovely imaginations that feed the child's spirit. I am cool with "God loved us so much that She sent you as a present to us." Somehow, even with this kind of story at a young age, most kids find out the facts of life before too long, and they are not burdened by bloody images before they need to know more. I am also a huge fan of the Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, Princess Lea, Puff the Magic Dragon and so on. Let's respect childhood while the children can enjoy it.