It is hard to say when a child ceases to be child and becomes an adult. Long ago I decided that this occurs when the child first comes to realize that his parents are just human beings. To the father of small boys it is a frightening thing to realize that his kids think that “Dad can fix it!” No matter what the problem the young innocent thinks Dad can fix it. Perhaps it’s a broken toy, a faulty air gun, a plugged radiator on a hot rod, or even a parking ticket. Junior is sure that “Dad can fix it.” And then comes the day when father fails. Dad CAN’T fix it. In one brief moment the child grows up and learns that fathers and mothers are just people, subject to the same fears and heartbreaks that youngsters know so well. This is a terrible moment for a child for although they go through so many years of thinking that parents are nine feet tall and can handle anything that comes along, I think really they start to identify with parents the moment they find out they are frail humans just like them. I you are a young parent, don’t worry about that moment Junior finds out the truth about you. Chances re he’ll draw even closer to you than he is now.
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