I firmly believe that fiction has a profound effect on people's lives. I've experienced this myself, as I've stated in other articles. The written word can change people. But that is exactly why you should be selective about what you read or what you allow your children to read. Fiction can affect us as adults, certainly, but children are more easily impressionable.

I know how deeply I was affected by fiction as a child. Reading is one of my greatest pleasures. I've practically devoured books since I've been able to read them. I know I've been changed not only what I read, but also what I was allowed to watch. But, thanks to my parents' carefulness, I can safely say that the changes made in my young imagination were positive ones. My imagination was allowed to blossom and grow. I saw the world as full of beauty, hope and joy, and I have continued to see the world this way as I've gotten older.

I don't see the world this way only because I'm an optimist and have always been so, as far back as I can remember. The kind of fiction I was allowed to encounter as a child shaped my worldview. It showed that while there could be darkness and evil in the world, good would always triumph. It may take time and effort and pain, but good will always defeat evil in the end. I firmly believed this view, also influenced by my Catholic faith, as a child, and I still believe it today.

But there's another side to this coin. Fiction can be a source of renewed and continued hope like it has been for me. Or it can have a very different effect. It can be a source of fear and even despair. It can be the reason a child stares at their closet door without sleeping, praying no frightful creatures hurt them.

Life can be full of sorrow, but there is always hope, no matter how dark the situation may become. I believe fiction should reflect that, especially the fiction children are permitted to become familiar with. Hope is something precious that should be protected. If you're not careful what you expose yourself to, you can damage the wings of the little feathered thing we call hope. You could hurt it, instead of nurturing it and allowing it to grow into a magnificent creature that it was meant to be.

Take care of that little bird. Nurture your hope and let it become stronger. It'll do you good in the long run. Having a strong sense of hope does take a bit of work, but when you need it, you'll find it was worth the effort it took to make it grow.