- I see something I want
- You buy it for me
- Any questions?
First, I think to myself that the shirt she's wearing probably never satisfied condition #1. Some adult bought that shirt for her, probably thinking it was funny. I found it sad. Hester Prynne was ashamed to be forced to wear the scarlet letter, but this girl's family had no shame in her wearing a shirt that essentially advertised: I am a spoiled brat.
I also see a young boy with his family; he's probably about eight. He's wearing a shirt that reads: SPELING CHAMP. Again, I don't see him actually choosing the shirt of his own accord. Some adult bought that for him, thinking it was funny. It's not funny to make your kid wear a shirt that says "I am an idiot". It's deplorable.Now I'm sure that there is no thought given to the very subtle background hum that must only slightly register in these poor kids' psyches when they are given these shirts and wear them around in public. But I'm also sure that it does register and it does have an effect. Kids live up to the expectations their families and friends set for them. If you're a parent and you tell your kid he's an idiot to his face, or you put him in a shirt that says "I'm an idiot", they are two means to the same end; your kid will live up to the expectation. And in reality, the plot is more sinister than that because noone is saying it blatantly. It's all subtext and innuendo. Believe me, the message is not lost even though the delivery is masked.
Have high expectations for your kid (and for yourself). Hold them to those standards. They won't live up to them all of the time, but those times are opportunities for learning. At least they will have something to aspire to tomorrow that is better than today. Reward them and praise them when they do well. Make them understand that you still love them even when they disappoint you. You will be surprised when they outshine your expectations and accomplish more than you ever dreamed.
Stupid isn't funny. It's a waste of amazing human potential.
1 comment:
This reminds me of the experiment someone did with a group of kids in a classroom. They told some teachers that these were gifted kids and others that these were the "slow" kids, and observed how the teachers behaved. As you might expect, even though they were the same kids, the teachers treated them completely differently and had *really* low expectations of the "slow" kids, without judging for themselves first. Not that this is a terribly scientific study, but...
Post a Comment