Not Letting Them Think.
We all implicitly know that anything questioning the process of cognition itself will be met with massive irritation, making us want to respond with "Don't question my capacity to think." Their moronic reasoning to show how logic is derived, provokes the thought, "Don't try to tell me how to think." Forcing their opinions down your throat earns the response, "Don't tell me what to think." Some parents show no respect for personal boundaries long after childhood, straightening your clothes, your hair, invading your privacy-incessantly buzzing around you like a mosquito. This belittlement implies incompetent dependency-a fundamental insult to Man or animal-any way you slice it. These actions tick everyone off, at any stage in life.
Their children are a test bed for ill technology-the grand experiment-saying "In this child, the great dream will be made real," and they hold them to their own irrational standard of how they wish life to be. They experiment with violence, as if forcing kids to practice the senseless can make it succeed, and then take aggression out on them when it fails. They trounce on their children's right to life by their gift of life. They punish them for having preferences. They force them into unchosen activities, pushing them into unnecessary competition in areas they care or don't care for, straining kid's friendships and taking the joy out of everything. Eventually their children accept patterns of repression, whose unchosen and unhappy situations follows them into adulthood.
Breaking life down into philosophic essentials, the motives that drive ideas and actions either go on one side-the side of life, or on the other-the side of death. Maybe five percent of parents I have known had a conscious understanding of intellectual essentials and could convey them effectively to children. Thinking is exactly what they don't know how to explain or train. Most wouldn't want to harm children if they knew better, but often they don't and at some point they made the choice not to know. That is their guilt. The crucial point is that their actions affect the child positively or negatively according to existential cause and effect, regardless of their claimed intentions. So what do they do? They try to live their lives for them. They buzz in their face like an insect and never leave them alone, saying "Why do you have to do it my way? Because, that's why. Do you want to be grounded? Don't question me." They offer no chain, make no attempt to teach one and penalize children for reasoning through what doesn't make sense to them. Riddled with cognitive errors and brimming with inexperience, they'll refuse to spank their child as a moral stand when pleasure and pain are the first rudimentary connections a child can make, and their children never learn to respect social boundaries. Instead they'll attempt to explain the ramifications of being good or bad when it's still well outside their cognitive range. Some hit unjustly, choosing violence as the constant solution instead of responsibly engaging a child ready for more complex understandings. A smothering parent will choose their children's diet, their interests, their friends, their schedule, their career, their mate, you name it, claiming to care. They will be hated, and as the children grow, both will make each other miserable. When the kids leave, don't expect to see them for a long, long time.
There is no justification for our every action being checked by another. Alone, we can relax. We can try new things, test and entertain conclusions with no need for immediate validation. There are no disagreements to have and no justifications to clear with ourselves, only dysfunctions to identify and inefficiencies to overcome. Few things are more valuable than a safely executed mistake. There are questions in life that need not be answered on the spot. Experience with the cognitive process itself will provide the completed picture; kids must only remain free to exercise it. Parental interference is a confession that they don't understand the cognitive process themselves, and don't trust their children to use it either. It is inappropriate to attempt to raise another consciousness until you have mastered your own.
Copyright 2005 Ronald E Springer
Ronald E. Springer is the Author/Philosopher of Moral Armor, the world's first fully-integrated moral philosophy based on the nature of Man. Featured on The Mitch Albom Show, NBC and FOX News radio affiliates, Mr. Springer is available for interviews, speaking engagements, philosophy workshops and seminars. Please contact ronaldespringer@moralarmor.com or visit ronaldespringer@moralarmor.com for details.
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..(Excerpted from Jim Rohn's 2004 Weekend Leadership Event)You have to... Read More
In the news, we hear and see an increasing number... Read More
My kids just can't get enough of playing games with... Read More
Mealtimes together deserve an important place in any family. Around... Read More
Well first off, please to don't institute the ? hour... Read More
One fantastic way to get your children involved in what... Read More
It's that time again! Parent-teacher conferences are coming. Are you... Read More
School authorities continually claim that they want more parent cooperation... Read More
Before my daughter was born my house was... Read More
'How can I start getting my children to help out... Read More
There are many parenting styles. Yours may be very different... Read More
"There is nothing new under the sun," states Ecclesiastes 1:9.... Read More
Ever feel like you're out of the loop when it... Read More
Levels of SafetyBy teaching our children there are different levels... Read More
Have you ever wondered why toys for babies tend to... Read More
Question 1 "How do I get more time to play?"... Read More
I look out of the window as I am writing... Read More
IntroductionChildren are the gifts of God to parents. That young... Read More
Being in a competitive world, the lowest qualification to secure... Read More
Here's the scene of communication with your child: your three-year-old... Read More
Many people still think that the game of chess is... Read More
"In general my children refuse to eat anything that hasn't... Read More
Chiladult? Whatever you call them, teenagers are a changin' and... Read More
Is there a fathering instinct?Celebrated child development expert Erik Erikson... Read More
I thought I was the only one in the world... Read More
emergency cleaning services Morton Grove ..Hope, excitement and anxiety all wrapped up in fresh haircuts... Read More
I am a dad. I have been now for over... Read More
It was no contest. Given a choice between a ball... Read More
Anyone can splurge on a formal dinner or a pricey... Read More
Annie easily slipped into becoming the sole caregiver of her... Read More
We take it for granted that children know how money... Read More
I remember when my daughter was born, later my son.... Read More
More and more kids these days are diagnosed ADD, ADHD,... Read More
Should a parent give a child a tangible reward when... Read More
Everyone in a private practice setting who works with children... Read More
How are parents to know they are doing the right... Read More
"Not another meeting!"That tends to be the reaction from many... Read More
In June, elementary school children across North America cheered as... Read More
There is little doubt that reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic are... Read More
Rule #1 Make Every Bite Count!Everything your child eats should... Read More
Hey Parents! I hate to tell you, but there is... Read More
Dining in a restaurant with kids can be very enervating... Read More
Most of the ADHD kids that are seen in a... Read More
My neighbours' kid impressed me the other day.I was busy... Read More
Some years ago when touring the Scottish Highlands, a man... Read More
Picture this. Your child comes home with a special assignment... Read More
Many of us have grown up drinking caffeinated diet sodas... Read More
Did you know that you are the most important person... Read More
How can two or three children in the same family... Read More
One of parents' most important duties is to protect their... Read More
Parenting |