The theories in moral education or any other kind of education we get from school, have never been enough to teach parents on how to raise a moral child or what's the most effective moral guidance or approach to apply at different stages of their growing up years.
Michael Schulman's and Eva Mekler's book on the morality of children, A New Approach for Teaching Your Child to be Kind, Just and Responsible, provides research on how parents can raise a moral child. They drew three foundation stones of dealing with moral issues in the family. One, is the INTERNALIZING of parental standards of right and wrong. The answer to parents' question of "How can I get my child to follow moral rules?"is a psychological process. The constant rules of "Share your toys," "Don't hit," and "Consider other people's feelings" enable the child to distinguish right from wrong and not only to obey his parents so as to avoid punishment.
Second, developing EMPATHY and AFFECTION towards others. Empathy appears to be an inborn capacity especially during the first six years as observed by the family and pre-school teachers, Infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers are lovable. They interact spontaneously with their age group in friendly terms, which include "quarrels" over toys. A feeling of guilt develops when both cry. Adults intervene and make them share.
Third, the ACQUISITION OF A PERSONAL STANDARD of right and wrong. This finally happens when the child independently chooses to behave fairly without and no longer depends on the approval of the adults.
Schulman and Mekler cite three age groups of children: early childhood of birth to age five, middle childhood of five to 12, and the adolescence, no age defined. As a parent's guide, it may be confusing because the behavioral changes or unique character of each group is not well-defined.
The variety of childhood experiences, though, are so real and so vividly recorded, In the early childhood stage, they cite the common anxieties of young parents as "overresponding to an infant's cry", "instilling good supermarket behavior", or "the impulsive habit of saying "No, no, do not climb the stairs... Do not eat the coakroach, etc!" and describe the ways to redirect the kids to good behavior.
Published by Teresita C. Tayanes on November 10, 2006 03:28 AM
