I really thought that I would lean more toward realism than I actually do. It depends so much on the specific topic, though. Somewhat recently there was a situation where my kids (who, most of you know are not my biological children) were told a harsh reality by a biological parent, but it was such a sickening blow to their self esteem that I can’t imagine that it was helpful in any way to teach them that “lesson.” On the other hand, there have been times where the gentle part of me wants to hide them from bad things, and pretend that everything is okay.. but I know that it is critical that they learn certain realities about the world. So, all in all, it really boils down to the individual circumstance. I weigh it out, on a case by case basis, and make my decisions from there. I think there are certain things about parenthood that you can try to plan, but ultimately you have to play as you go.