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.
Rolling Meadows Cadillac Escalade rental .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareDo you struggle to get your child to bed at... Read More
Parents, when you help your children learn to read, you... Read More
I really like all natural remedy for Attention Deficit Disorder... Read More
Dear Camille,As I thumb through the photographs that I carry... Read More
Loving your step-child can be both simple and hard. It... Read More
I will cherish this moment. I will not let it... Read More
Parents of hyperactive children know the "Would you please just... Read More
As I sit here and reflect on the past two... Read More
No matter how old your children are, you have an... Read More
"My son won't go to bed at night without a... Read More
17 Quick Ways to Strengthen the Bonds of LoveOn Mother's... Read More
Not so long ago a dad-to-be would pace up and... Read More
Child support is defined as that part of your income... Read More
Single parents are not often thought of as good parents.I... Read More
Libraries offer more than books. They are places of learning... Read More
"I WON'T DO IT!" "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"Whether parent or... Read More
I was changing Ford's diaper the other day when he... Read More
The citizens of the early Roman Republic enjoyed an education... Read More
'How can I start getting my children to help out... Read More
Public-school teaching is structured in such a way that it... Read More
What's hard for teenagersHaving people who don't understand you trying... Read More
Children do what feels good to them and follow their... Read More
I have three children, ages 19 and 16 (yes, the... Read More
The advances in science over the past century have been... Read More
Do you live with an ADD / ADHD child? If... Read More
Des Moines rental limo ..Using 14 "at" Flashcards To Teach Reading:This exercise helps your... Read More
It used to strike me as odd - but really,... Read More
Vouchers, which give tax money to parents to pay for... Read More
The last decade has seen heightened interest in and awareness... Read More
Some years ago when touring the Scottish Highlands, a man... Read More
Frankly, as a single parent of young children, I struggled.... Read More
I'll never forget my first lesson in a glider.I'd been... Read More
'I felt great until I walked into the classroom -... Read More
Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters'... Read More
Having worked with parents for the last 35 years and... Read More
``Mom, can I go to the mall with my friend... Read More
As the new school year begins, parents play a pivotal... Read More
Before going further into choosing computers for children, I believe... Read More
You send your child to school and the teachers teach... Read More
"What age should my child start school?"This is a common... Read More
Not Letting Them Think.We all implicitly know that anything questioning... Read More
Assuming there are no serious motor problems present, what can... Read More
Get into their world. The world that teens are growing... Read More
Choosing a baby name is an important job, so make... Read More
I've often thought that in 6 million years, archaeologists will... Read More
Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is... Read More
You're trying to catch up on some sleep on a... Read More
When kids try new things, sometimes it's a 'fit' and... Read More
Chiladult? Whatever you call them, teenagers are a changin' and... Read More
Every year over one million parents have to talk to... Read More
Parenting |