A hard part about raising an adolescent child is their transition from thinking the world is always kind to realize there is a dark side to life.
It’s a truth we know is coming, as parents, but one that is difficult to accept. We have two paths.
Avoid the conversation and suppress their curiosity or lean into the discussions with warmth and honesty.
It might be better to prepare them for a realistic future and provide the tools to handle those situations versus overprotecting them where they never learn how to protect themselves.
It’s a fine balance but one that we have to be willing to take.
It’s better than the alternative; them wandering the wilderness alone without any knowledge of what to do if danger appears.