This evening my daughter Kindness called to me from her bed, as she does on occasion: “Daddy, I’m scared.”
“What are you scared of?” I asked.
“Monsters,” she responded.
After consoling her and reminding her that there are no monsters, I took time to consider her fear. For her, the monsters are real. She can hear them. She can sense when they are close. In her mind, the monsters manifest themselves in very real ways.
Recalling my childhood fears of monsters and ghosts, I pondered the reason that those fears, which seemed so real at the time, are now gone. How could a strong and sincere understanding of such things be discarded?
As a child, I was required to take a lot on faith. I trusted that my dad would keep me from falling while I learned to ride a bike. I trusted that my mom was right when she said “Eat your beans. They’re good for you.” I trusted that the bus would take me home after school, that the earth was round, and that long division really would be useful someday.
I also trusted my friends who told ghost stories. I trusted my books that described monsters and goblins. I trusted the TV when it displayed vampires and werewolves. Since I lacked experience and knowledge of these matters, I believed.
Now I am grown. I can ride a bicycle without falling. I can see the consequence of eating more donuts than green beans. I can drive my car to my home, use a telescope to study the stars, and do my own taxes.
I have never seen a ghost or a vampire, and I know enough about the properties of the universe to recognize that they cannot exist. I know there are no monsters hiding in the shadows. I know these things because I have experienced life. I no longer need to accept such things on faith. True things can be experienced and accepted, and false things can be rejected.
In short, I have grown up. In time my daughter will grow up, and she will no longer believe in monsters. I look forward to that day, for her sake.