Letters to the Editor: Modifying the realities of history denies us the ability to cope with them

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To the editor : It is important to shield children from the harsh realities of life to allow them to develop their sense of self gradually. This initial “bubble” allows for inner stability and safety to grow, which in turn fortifies that individual as they begin to become aware of life’s harshness. Make-believe, fantasies, fairy tales, tooth fairies and Santa Claus serve this purpose.

The child who is allowed no safe space to grow, as in instances of poverty, abuse or the overwhelming awfulness of warfare, developmentally suffers. At the other extreme, excess coddling of a child is crippling in that it denies that child the opportunity to learn how to cope with all of life that the