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War and young children (part 2)
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From: Smithhemb at aol.com <Smithhemb>
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 15:23:53 EST
In a message dated 3/22/2003 11:44:17 AM Eastern Standard Time, jhunt24 at hotmail.com writes:
Which, of course, raises the question of just how many parents and guardians are displaying independent thought rather than, say, mimicking what they hear on the news or from their "leaders." What people (of any age) think is always a reflection of their environment/how they are acculturated/what information they do and don't have (or are and aren't given), etc. Different mirrors reflect differently (and are positioned to reflect different things), but nobody's starting from scratch here. I'm not even sure that kids inherently have less material to work with/choose from than adults do. How many truly different sources of information/opinion do you think more American adults have sought out in forming their opinions about the legitimacy of this war?
I don't think that independence of thought is an attribute that develops with age. I know lots of children who think more independently than lots of adults I know. They're less invested in certain beliefs -- perhaps because they've spent less time/energy espousing them, perhaps because they experience their own lives/who they are (or might be) as up for grabs in ways that most adults don't.
My own 5 year old, who tags along to some of the anti-war stuff I do, never ceases to amaze me with her responses. She questioned why all dove symbols were white -- weren't there brown doves in nature and why shouldn't they mean peace too? Accustomed to larger marches that passed the White House, she wondered aloud how a small candlelight vigil among the embassies could prevent Bush from going to war. And she pointed out that the lady with the
"No War on Iraq" button needed another one -- saying "OR ANYWHERE ELSE!" And she had to have the ORGANIZE! button whose illustration she recognized as a take-off on Brueghel's Big Fish Eat Little Fish (an old fave!)
I certainly recognize/acknowledge how I, as a parent, shape what she's thinking about -- but, even as young as she is, she's alreadying thinking about things in ways that are her own. Part of the reason I know this is that she routinely shapes/challenges what I think. And that's what I love about children (mine and other peoples')! Adults are usually much more predictable, LOL.
Sue Hemberger
Received on Sat 22 Mar 2003 02:23:53 PM CST
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 15:23:53 EST
In a message dated 3/22/2003 11:44:17 AM Eastern Standard Time, jhunt24 at hotmail.com writes:
Which, of course, raises the question of just how many parents and guardians are displaying independent thought rather than, say, mimicking what they hear on the news or from their "leaders." What people (of any age) think is always a reflection of their environment/how they are acculturated/what information they do and don't have (or are and aren't given), etc. Different mirrors reflect differently (and are positioned to reflect different things), but nobody's starting from scratch here. I'm not even sure that kids inherently have less material to work with/choose from than adults do. How many truly different sources of information/opinion do you think more American adults have sought out in forming their opinions about the legitimacy of this war?
I don't think that independence of thought is an attribute that develops with age. I know lots of children who think more independently than lots of adults I know. They're less invested in certain beliefs -- perhaps because they've spent less time/energy espousing them, perhaps because they experience their own lives/who they are (or might be) as up for grabs in ways that most adults don't.
My own 5 year old, who tags along to some of the anti-war stuff I do, never ceases to amaze me with her responses. She questioned why all dove symbols were white -- weren't there brown doves in nature and why shouldn't they mean peace too? Accustomed to larger marches that passed the White House, she wondered aloud how a small candlelight vigil among the embassies could prevent Bush from going to war. And she pointed out that the lady with the
"No War on Iraq" button needed another one -- saying "OR ANYWHERE ELSE!" And she had to have the ORGANIZE! button whose illustration she recognized as a take-off on Brueghel's Big Fish Eat Little Fish (an old fave!)
I certainly recognize/acknowledge how I, as a parent, shape what she's thinking about -- but, even as young as she is, she's alreadying thinking about things in ways that are her own. Part of the reason I know this is that she routinely shapes/challenges what I think. And that's what I love about children (mine and other peoples')! Adults are usually much more predictable, LOL.
Sue Hemberger
Received on Sat 22 Mar 2003 02:23:53 PM CST
