Truth is the truth, and nobody should be debarred from it. Just because children are small, do they have to be fed on lies? Is truth only for grown-ups? Does that mean the truth is dangerous for the delicate consciousness of the child? Truth is never dangerous, untruth is dangerous. And if you tell an untruth to the grown-up he may be able to defend himself; it can be forgiven. But never tell an untruth to the child, because he is so helpless, so indefensible. He depends so much on you, he trusts so much in you – don’t betray him. This is betraying! Telling any lie means you have betrayed the child. And finally, you will be in trouble. Sooner or later, the child will discover that you have been telling lies. That very day, all trust in you will disappear. If young people start rebelling against the parents, the responsibility is not theirs, the responsibility is of the parents. They have been telling so many lies; and now, by and by, the children start discovering that they were ALL lies. And if you have been telling so many lies, even the truth that you have told them becomes suspicious. And one thing is certain, they lose trust in you. You have betrayed them, you have deceived them: you become ugly in their consciousness. Their impression of you is no good anymore. In fact, they will never be able to trust anybody. What is wrong? Sex is a simple fact: tell it the way it is. And children are very very perceptive – even if you don’t tell them they will discover it on their own. They are very curious people.
Carl was assigned to write a composition entitled, ”Where I came from.” When he returned home from school, he entered the kitchen where his mother was preparing dinner.
”Where did I come from, Mama?” he asked.
”The stork brought you.”
”And where did Daddy come from?”
”The stork brought him, too.”
”And what about Grandpa?”
”Why, the stork brought him too, darling.”
Carl very carefully made notes on what Mama had told him, and the next day he handed in the following composition:
”According to my calculations, there hasn’t been a natural birth in my family for the past three generations.”
Children are very perceptive; they go on watching, they go on seeing what foolishness you are telling them. And how long can you deceive them? life is there, and life is sexual. And they are watching life: they will see animals making love, they will see birds making love.
And you may go on believing that they have never seen you making love – you can go on believing it, but children know that their parents make love. In the beginning, they may think they are fighting or something, but sooner or later they discover that something is going on behind their backs. Why create these suspicions and doubts? Why not be true? Truth is always good, truth is always divine. Let them know things as they are. Truth can never be the enemy, sexual or otherwise. Befriend truth. And children are very understanding, they immediately accept the fact. They have no prejudices, they have no notion of right and wrong. If you tell them the truth they understand it is so and they forget all about it. And it will create a great trust in you: you never deceived them.
Sex education is one of the fundamental causes of the rift between the generations. The day the child discovers that his parents have been deceiving him, he loses all roots in trust. That is the most devastating shock you can give to that delicate system. Go on telling the truth as it is, and don’t try to philosophize about it and don’t go on round and round. Tell it the way it is. Why is there so much fear about it in you? Because your parents did not tell YOU.
So you feel a little shaky, nervous, afraid as if you are moving in some dangerous territory.
Be very simple, direct. And whenever a child enquirers about anything, if you know about it, tell it. – osho
