"A child who is protected from all controversial ideas is as vulnerable as a child who is protected from every germ. The infection, when it comes- and it will come- may overwhelm the system, be it the immune system or the belief system"

This quote by Jane Smiley is a powerful tip of the value of exposing children to a variety of concepts and viewpoints. Smiley is suggesting that protecting kids from questionable concepts is just as harmful as protecting them from bacteria. Simply as a child who is not exposed to germs will be vulnerable to infection when they are eventually exposed, a child who is not exposed to different ideas and point of views will be susceptible to the shock of encountering them later on in life. Smiley is warning that this shock can be overwhelming, both to the kid's immune system and to their belief system. For that reason, it is important to expose kids to a range of ideas and viewpoints in order to prepare them for the world they will eventually come across.