2

Lacan would say that the real children are often the parents. Psychoanalysis allows us to identify and prevent the danger that parents pose to their children, often unwittingly: parents pass to their children their own sufferings and misunderstandings, which they have not been able to overcome or to resolve. Thus, the risks children face cannot be limited to illegal acts such as violence or sexual abuse. Other dangers include unforgivable ignorance, all kinds of secrets, indifference, confused desire, or exploitation of the child as a potential consumer.