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?
Originally posted on May 19, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
