“And then, the bunnies realized there was a dragon in the mountains, and – ” 

“A good one,” my five-year-old interrupts the serial bedtime story I’ve been telling him about a rabbit family and their adventures. “The dragon is good. Not a scary dragon.” I concede that this is a friendly dragon, and the tale continues. As I switch the lights off in my son’s bedroom and set our burglar alarm, I wonder about how easily I caved to his request. How young is too young to face danger in a story?

My kids already know the world is not safe. Will dragons and goblins make it worse?