The Lion in the Glovebox
Some years ago I was riding “shotgun” with one of my adult children, the grandkids being in the back of the car. Soon enough a request came forward for candy or some such treasure from the glove compartment. A quick glance from the driver told me this was not a preferred outcome.
So as the glove box was opened just a crack, a mighty roar erupted from within. Quickly I slammed the door closed– “There’s a lion in there!”
For the next fifteen minutes or so we kept checking on the glove box, only to be met in succession by a horse, a pig, a pirate, a rooster, a crow, and a host of other creatures. The kids, of course, completely forgot the candy and howled with delight as each new character was introduced, many on request– “Grandad, is there an elephant in there?”
One of the most essential features of a good education, I have always believed, is teaching students how to separate fact from fiction. Whether it is a grandfather finding a lion in the glovebox or a secondary teacher demonstrating critical thinking, kids need to learn to differentiate between fantasy and reality, so that when they come of age and salesmen and politicians promise them pie in the sky, they can detect BS. Regretfully, we’re failing to help our kids in this regard, and as a society we’re paying the price.
So the next time you have a chance to regale your kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews with some outrageous fantasy, do so with all your heart. Take it so far over the top that they’ll understand in an innocent setting that not every story is to be believed. Better that they learn to parse truth at your knee than fail to do so at the knee of a demagogue.