Uh...I don't recall anyone saying their kids never had nightmares. The world has ample darkness to be sure (including in childhood, as shown in your excellent prize-winner, Kate). Truth be told, no doubt the sheep in the painting had parasites, the shepherd had no dental care and had lost his teeth, and his wife had left him for the butcher. Stuff happens. Too much information for story time, though.
And there are some of those "hot chocolate by the fire" spots of time that grown kids and proud parents remember, even in families more noted for screamfests. The painter may not have much wall space in the Vatican Museum; but he probably fits better in the family room than Laocoon and the serpents would.
Lovely work. If framed in a collection with darker poems before and after, I don't think anyone would comment adversely on the glow.
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