I get that it’s not this simple - but my flippant response is that “with kids, yes!”… this is an essential part of being a parent or role model - tell kids how/why to be “good” , and largely they won’t be bad.
> tell kids how/why to be “good” , and largely they won’t be bad.
That is only part of the solution. Kids do more modeling than critical thinking. Parents and other role models need to show kids a good example. Bad behavior in kids is largely from bad modeling by the people they look up to, not insufficient instruction. Certainly the "why" should be explained, but saying "don't lie" means nothing if the person saying it then goes around lying constantly.
There is also the question of children becoming more peer oriented than parent oriented, which has become an increasingly prevelant situation the past century or so. The kids with better behavior tend to seek instruction, modeling, and self-worth from their parents. Kids with worse behavior tend to seek instruction, modeling, and self-worth from their peers (which is generally a terrible idea).
eestrada|2 years ago
That is only part of the solution. Kids do more modeling than critical thinking. Parents and other role models need to show kids a good example. Bad behavior in kids is largely from bad modeling by the people they look up to, not insufficient instruction. Certainly the "why" should be explained, but saying "don't lie" means nothing if the person saying it then goes around lying constantly.
There is also the question of children becoming more peer oriented than parent oriented, which has become an increasingly prevelant situation the past century or so. The kids with better behavior tend to seek instruction, modeling, and self-worth from their parents. Kids with worse behavior tend to seek instruction, modeling, and self-worth from their peers (which is generally a terrible idea).