In our class reunion recently, I was surprised to learn that a former classmate stopped sending her kids to regular school because of the unsavory influence that has been lurking in our society. She and her husband believe enrolling them in a home-study program will protect them from these evil forces and it was not going to stunt their personalities at all.
Is there a way…or do we simply close our eyes and cross our fingers?
There is really no single formula that will answer these questions. But there is a way. Figure this out…you take risks.
It is the duty of the parents to keep the child nourished, protected, and educated so that he will grow into a useful individual. The parents keep him sheltered under their wings until such time when he will have generated his own powers to go forth and propel on his own.
It is true that there are evil forces lurking everywhere, but a child has to learn to live with them. He cannot exist in a vacuum. Every child needs an opportunity to experience both pleasant and unpleasant moments, preferably with the pleasant ones predominating.
The child who is pampered or sheltered from unpleasant experiences may have a happy and carefree childhood but he is ill prepared to meet disappointments and frustrations he may face with his parents no longer around to protect him.
All individuals need a
reasonable tolerance – to be able to “take it” – without going to pieces in the face of trouble.
The child who is over-protected and deprived of opportunities to learn how to cope with unpleasant experiences develops feelings of vulnerability.
Psychiatric clinics are filled with clients who are unable to cope with reality. Many of them are pampered darlings who were never taught to stand on their feet.
Having an opportunity to experience all kinds of emotions and learning to cope with them provide “mental health insurance”. A person who has never encountered any misfortune cannot truly appreciate the position of those who suffer.
So I strongly feel that by exposing them to these unsavory influences will provide them with a range of emotional experiences. This is the ideal way to bring them up.
What are your thoughts about this?
