I'm not sure if I 100% agree with every one of these statements but I will say they made me think. Read them and let me know your thoughts. PEACE~J
BEHAVIOR LABELING
By Dixie Fletcher
If an adult is reinforced for behaving appropriately we call it recognition.
If a child is reinforced for behaving appropriately we call it bribery.
If an adult laughs we call it socializing.
If a child laughs we call it misbehaving.
If an adult writes in a book we call it doodling.
If a child writes in a book we call it destroying property.
If an adult sticks to something we call it perseverance.
Of a child sticks to something we call it stubbornness.
If an adult seeks help we call it consulting.
If a child seeks help we call it whining.
If an adult is not paying attention we call it preoccupation.
Of a child is not paying attention we call it distractibility.
If an adult forgets something we call it absent mindedness.
If a child forgets something we call it attention deficit.
If an adult tells his side of a story we call it clarification.
If a child tells his side of a story we call it talking back.
If an adult raise his voice in anger we call it maintaining control.
If a chiild raises his voice in anger we call it a temper tantrum.
If an adult hits a child we call it discipline.
If a child hits a child we call it fighting.
If an adult behaves in an unusual way we call him unique.
If a child behaves in an unusual way we call him in for a
PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATUON.
___________________
5 comments:
this is so true. i watched a show on sbs last night called 'australian children' and it talked about how serious and stern society deems children today. why are we so hard on them!?
thx for sharing! i post it up on my FB!
I definitely think the idea behind it is a good one. I have noticed a definite difference in the standards of behavior expected of (and toward) children versus adults. I honestly think if we could learn to treat children the way we want to be treated, they would behave a lot better. Part of that is remembering that their idea of what's important is different, and we need to respect that.
I am moving more and more away from the idea of physical discipline being acceptable and wondering why people believe it's okay to hit a child, when they would never hit another adult. "It's the way things have always been," is not a good reason to do something. (Seriously considering pointing out next time I have this discussion with a certain someone that slavery was considered acceptable for a long time too. Did that make it okay?) I've come to see that it is all just about a feeling of control.
Sorry for the long, rambling response. I too don't know that I necessarily agree with every single point on the list, but I definitely think it's a good idea to think about the golden rule in the way we treat our children. (This is something I struggle with everyday. It's easier said than done to drop all the habit, training, human nature. I'm hoping that making an honest effort will be taken into account in the wy I'm judged and the way my kids turn out.)
When I began reading this I remember being so proud of myself when I was able to read this poem on my own. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/if-a-child/
It was a plaque on my mothers wall. I haven't thought of it in forever. The words kept tumbling around in my mind so I had to go find the words and share with you.
Evenspor, I think you are right on! Thanks for your comment. WildHair, MY mother had that same wall plaque in our kitchen growing up. I think I prefer it better than the one I posted actually. I had it on my sidebar for some time, to remind me of it's wisdom. I think I'll post it again!
Thank you for reading and commenting!
In PEACE,
Jennifer
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