When my children were little, I tried to be one of those parents that did everything right. (Son and daughter can now comment and tell me what a crappy parent I was and still am.) I It was especially important to keep them away from toy guns as I didn't want them exposed to any sort of violence.
I soon learned this was impossible to do. As I waited for my two-year old's pre-school teacher to arrive, I watched little boys remove their bananas from their lunch and pick up pieces of string and pretend to shoot one another. At that point, I decided he might as well have the real thing like his best friend on the block had. (This boy came from a wonderful intact family with no history of violence or criminal behavior.) The toy pistol had no detrimental effect on his development or on the development of the boy on the corner (or any of his older siblings who I assume also grew up playing with guns.) I proudly say that all these young people lead exemplary lives. They have never robbed or killed anyone.
I just heard about parents in Queens who are upset about their 5-year old daughter having a homework sheet containing the words GUN and ROB. They feel it is inappropriate to teach little children such violent words and they are afraid these words will teach their daughter that these behaviors are acceptable. I have to wonder what is wrong with parents like this? If their child will be corrupted by these three letter words, I wonder what they are teaching this little girl at home? And, to have a teacher apologize for using them? How ridiculous! These are words kids here every day. The teacher didn't tell the children to take the gun and rob the convenience store. She told them to practice writing.
So now, because of these two parents who chose to make a big deal about nothing, this teacher will have all her work monitored by her supervisor. These parents are lucky that a couple of words are the only thing to get them upset.
4 comments:
I had a group of 4 year olds one summer in 2003 (camp group) where a mother of a child to me and my supervisor, "I just want my child to know she can make her own decisions so that when she is a teenager she can say no to sex and drugs'". The supervisor and I were biting our lips for that one since this 4 year old had a least 12 to 14 more years to go to learn about sex and drugs.
Also, I just watched the report and I was more horrified about the the inappropriate and excessive amount of work that was given to the children in the kindergarten class. 12 words to sound out beginning and ending sounds is too much.
Honestly 8 year olds are having babies. 10 year olds are already drug addicts. You are naive if you think not teaching kids about these things until they they are 16 (4+12) is doing them a service.
@ Anonymous:
It has never been biologically possible for 8 year olds to have babies. Also, the point of this topic was how sometimes people make a 'big deal out of nothing'. If positive and honest values with a supportive family, 'most' children make the right choices.
I think anonymous's point was not telling kids about sex doesn't prevent them from having them and not telling them about guns doesn't prevent them from knowing about them. I think the comment was right on target.
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