Teaching Right And Wrong
Teaching kids the difference between what is right and what is wrong is, theoretically a simple thing. Then again, who is to say what is right and what is wrong? Add the concepts of left (wrong) and right (right) and things just might get all muddled up.
Mike’s take on this had me laughing my bum off:
My 4-year old loves to navigate when I drive the family van. But he sometimes gets confused with his left and right.
So I try to help him.
I drive. My wife sits in the front passenger seat. My 4-year old sits behind me while my 2-year old sits behind my wife.
“Daddy is on the left,” I tell my 4-year old. “Mommy is always right.”
Ok, so he was teaching his son directions – left and right. Yet I believe that this little anecdote gives us deeper insights. How do our children perceive the dynamics between mother and father? Do they see Mommy as always being in the right? Is the mother always the one who insists on doing the proper thing?
I am sure that in many other families, this issue is present. The mom might be the one seen as the one who insists on doing the right thing while the dad might be the more tolerant one. I don’t believe in stereotypes. I’d much rather that our children see a united front when it comes to what is right and what is wrong.
Share your thoughts?
May 20th, 2008 at 9:15 am
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June 17th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
[...] Lewis is much more than a children’s book writer, though. In fact, his work spans a lot of topics and interests. From medieval [...]
September 12th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
All parenting-blog.net readers:
I have a very serious Request for Advice!
My name is Ryan C. Jennings, and I am from Independence Missouri (Greater Kansas City Area). I have been extremely blessed by having a 4 1/2 year old daughter. Her name is Abrielle (Elle) Dawn Jennings. Her mother Sara D. Wilt) and I had Elle out of wedlock. I never imagined having a daughter without being married, however our relationship never reached that point. Elle’s mother and I did however have a fun relationship and enjoyed one an others company and consider Elle’s birth to be very much created out of love for one another.
However, I had some issues that not only troubled my mind the day Sara relayed these dreadful details to me, but also have grown into a very worrying nightmare. Sara and I were both free spirited young adults. The issue arose when I could not figure out why Sara was acting so peculiar and deceitful. After inquiring why she was acting the way she was, specifically lying to me, she broke down in tears and asked me if I want to know why she was the way she was. I said “yes!” She explained to me late one evening after she had been out partying that she was sexually molested by her half-brother Greg Ault. I felt a since of deep compassion and wanted to learn more about the situation. I asked for specific details. I had never been in a relationship with a girl that had either admitted or was in this incest sexual abuse scenario. She explained to me that her mind had blocked out details of exactly what acts/actions had occurred. She also informed me that the reason she was getting treatment from a Psychologist was for this sexual abuse and her struggle with living a normal life without an extreme case of anxiety. She then added that was the reason she had been given several bottles of Wellbutrin medicine. Sara expressed this testimony to me before we conceived Elle. At that time I was currious on how well her brother Greg and she still got along. I assumed that at some point they had reconciled there relationship. However, my research on the sexual abuse molestation subject extremely intensified when Elle was born.
Details of what I knew: Sara’s brother Greg had been conceived by her mother Rhonda Wilt at her young age of 14. To me and most if not all United States is considered to be Rape. I also became very defensive on weather or not this type of abuse could be genetically passed down through generations as a dna/gene trait. This was due to the fact that Greg had a toddler son Toby that was just a couple years older than Elle. I was petrified that this may happen to Elle. My research on the subject was not easy but at that time I concluded NO. My research and Internet searching showed me that unlike alcohol it was genetic. However, if the family’s environment didn’t change over time it could and would most likely worsen. After hearing this I exploded and went broke off the relationship with Sara Wilt, which is now Sara D. Jones married to Jeff Jones of Lees Summit Missouri. I did have the respect to be straight forward in communicating why. I even called Rhonda and Don Wilt, Sara’s parents. I asked to speak to Don which I held in high respect. I told him that forever and for always that we would share the joy of having Elle in our lives. But, I was asking Sara to move out of my South Kansas City House. I then proceeded to ask him if he knew his step son Greg had molested his three daughters as they grew up. He told me NO, and thanked me for the information. Later that week Sara’s mother Rhonda came to my home to pick up Sara’s stuff at my house. I vividly recall Rhonda sitting in my home-office chair and telling me that she was told why I was ending the relationship and she followed her disgruntled reaction with telling me this. Rhonda said “Ryan, I remember walking in on Greg and Sara once or twice acting in the way I was referring to.” Rhonda then shocked my inner soul by saying “Ryan, this is a normal thing for brothers and sisters to do, and was no big deal!” I was irate to say the least.
Sara’s mother Rhonda was a director of staffing for Nurses at Truman Medical Center in Lees Summit MO where she had been employed for 30 years. Sara looked up to her.
August 10th, 2009 at 8:50 am
[...] Lewis is much more than a children’s book writer, though. In fact, his work spans a lot of topics and interests. From medieval [...]
August 10th, 2009 at 8:51 am
[...] Lewis is much more than a children’s book writer, though. In fact, his work spans a lot of topics and interests. From medieval [...]