Good Morning,

The future is our children. They are born a blank innocent slate. Everything they think and believe are learned. They are, by nature, curious, absorbing everything they hear, see and experience.

What they learn does not come only from books. In fact, this, probably, has the least impact on what they are capable of achieving. Critically important is:

• How they are treated at home.
• What they see around them.
• What they are told each and every day.
• The friends and adults they associate with.
• What they see and hear on television, social media and games they are allowed to play.

It begins at birth and, the older they get, the harder is for them to change. The “you can’t dog new tricks” idiom applies to all of us.

• If they experience only meanness, they become mean. If they experience love, they love.
• If they see evil around them, they become evil. If they experience good they become good.
• If they are told they have no value, they believe it. Likewise, if they are told and shown they matter, they believe this as well.
• If they are told society is evil, that they are being abused because of social evils, they believe it. If they are told society is good (not perfect) but can, always, be improved, they will believe this as well.

Yes, there are those exceptions, those who have experienced and been told all of the negatives, who rise up, believe they can and, yes, do. This is usually because someone, somewhere touched them and encouraged them to rise above this.

What kind of example are we setting in our encounters with children, whether as parents, grandparents, teachers or just ordinary citizens living our daily lives.

Let’s make sure what children see of us and in us is what we want them to become as adults.

JIm