Catherine, I think there’s a lot more about human psychology that we don’t know than that we do. Just a feeling, and in the hunch department my track record isn’t so good, but there it is.

I grew up in farm country, deep in the hills of West Virginia. The first time I had the term “free range chicken” explained to me I laughed for five minutes. The things many urban dwellers find shocking I still don’t understand.

To me it sounds like your son has his head on straight. I wish I had kids, even though I know there’s a lot of heartache leavened into the joy of raising them. One of those heartaches is probably seeing your kid getting a grip on the idea of evil. But my gut tells me it’s best they learn in a safe environment rather than first-hand.