We are all so often caught up in teaching our kids
moral values, but sometimes,
kids too, have things to teach us.
I recall an incident that happened when Tristan was
barely three years old. We
were having dinner at a nice little restaurant
overlooking Mt Faber.
There was a group of five kids (about six or seven
years' old) colouring at an
art and craft corner, which was actually part of the
restaurant. Tristan being
the typical social butterfly was ecstatic and
immediately ran over to join
the group. He tried several times to join in but was
stopped by the kids
(to my horror!). The kids' parents remained nonchalant
and ignored the whole
situation.
Tristan had loads of endless questions "Why
didn't they want to share?" Why
can't I join them" and "Why didn't they want
to talk or play with me?"
What can you possibly say to a three-year-old? I was
flabbergasted, 'cause I had
never experienced that anywhere, but I figured we couldn't
always be sheltering
him from the ugliness of society.
A little later, Tristan joined another 18-month-old
boy and they coloured together;
Tristan making sure he gave in
to the little one as he said, "He is only a
baby!"
In a society where we are constantly bombarded with
negative influences on the
Internet, television, magazines, etc., many parents do
not even realise the
amount of bad influences our children are witnessing
every single day.
We as parents, have to take it upon us to teach our
children the importance of
moral values. And in rare moments like above, children
too, have things to
teach us.....