Have you ever heard the phrase "Don't blame me, I'm just a kid!"? Of course you have! WE ALL HAVE! This is the excuse children use (or we give them) when they don't know exactly what they're doing. What they also don't understand is the consequences that come with their actions. But...
In today's day and age, children have more knowledge of things than we think.. They've absorbed matters we didn't know about 'til were at least 11 to 13. Who do we blame for their extensive knowledge?
We could blame the parents, but even parents get surprised by their children and wonder where they learn some of the things they do and say. We could accuse our schools, but they call the parents every time their child behaves inappropriately. What about the mentality of the child? If we incriminate the kid's mind, we don't have to blame anyone. Do we blame media such as television or the Internet? Aren't the parents suppose to monitor that stuff? Where would the child have learned to perform or communicate in such a manner? How would he/she have known to act this way? These questions depend on what the child observes in the start of their lives.
Now, I'm not going to go into my childhood. Instead I'm going to explain some things that I've observed myself.
When I was at the store one day, I saw a woman carrying her son with an angry expression on her face, she said,"Don't you ever say that again!" and the child replied, crying,"But, you say it all the time!!" and continued to bawl.
I mentioned that because, children are always doing and saying things that make us aware of ourselves. Around kids, we have to actually think before we do or speak, meaning we need to be aware of ourselves before they become aware of us.
There's also a saying that goes, 'monkey see, monkey do'. What we fail to realize, sometimes, is that the said 'monkey' observes, thus 'monkey makes a fool of you'. Children may see what we do, but they also observe and analyze our behavior without notice. Whether we realize it or not, we can control how children act. We just need to control how we act, first.
I agree with just about everything you wrote. One thing you also should take into account is racial memory. I am a firm-believer that people can know things before they are taught it, and I don't mean special gifts like ESP.
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