If a child
is afraid of the dark,
how do you comfort him?
Do you calm him
by turning on the light,
providing instant relief,
but likely confirming
and prolonging his fears,
or do you speak softly to him
as he screams in terror,
hoping to cure his fear entirely,
but denying him
the simple solution
you can offer
with just the flick of a switch?
I wish
there was no wrong answer
when choosing between
these two options,
but I fear
there is no right one.
With the first,
I feel
I may cripple
my child emotionally,
giving him what he wants
instead of what he needs,
while I worry that the second
breeds distrust
between father and son,
as the son knows only
that his father
would not end his suffering,
though he had the power
and the opportunity
to do so.
I pray there is grace
for either choice,
as I know not
a third
which exists.
