A capable/knowledgeable grownup --- such as a somewhat-rebellious-minded older relative like an aunt/uncle or grandparent, local pediatrician, grade-school counsellor, high-school classmate, etc.) who snortingly ignores parental wishes (i.e., "undermines") regarding young offspring (i.e., "minors"), giving said children the "goodie-items" they desire (spending money, sweets, toys, etc.) but that the children's Spartan-hearted parents don't want them to have, provides information/assistance with learning/tasks which the youngsters are unable to accomplish on their own but their parents refuse to merely tell them the needed answers or otherwise significantly help them in their efforts because "they need to figure it out for themselves", tells them and/or helps them to find out about "mature" topics (such as the age-old "young innocent's query" of "How was I born?", or the awkward/alarm-raising question, "What does an "adult-level"/violent/swear word that the Puritan-minded parent is horrified to discover that the young/impressionable child was introduced/exposed to mean?") that their over-protective parents refuse to explain/discuss with them yet because said parents think that their children are "still too young" to be told about such things, etc. Kids absolutely adore this kind of "willing to talk/help" person; parents hate their guts!
I'm kind of "on the fence" regarding telling/giving "da small fry" what they want against their parents' wishes... on da one hand, I fully respect a parent's desire to protect and nurture his offspring in an appropriate manner, but what about the (often very numerous, unfortunately!) instances when the parent **incorrectly** declines to help/enlighten the child, such as not assisting him in cases where he honestly does indeed have no idea how to proceed, or refusing to discuss/explain about a topic that **would indeed** be okay/appropriate/necessary for him to know about at his age?? I know how horridly frustrated I used to get as a small child when grownups wouldn't answer a simple question or help me with some mundane endeavor, and then later I'd resentfully find out that it actually WOULD have been perfectly okay/possible/appropriate for said grownup to have helped me, and thus I had needlessly been subjected to untold suffering and confusion by the adult's refusal to step in! What I would have given for a good underminor whom I could have run to in these "times of need" --- nowadays as a grownup myself, I SO INDEED make an effort to be a "child's advocate" --- I try hard to be helpful and generous in these ways whenever I see a confused/tearful child who needs info about/assistance with something.
by QuacksO September 30, 2018