Indoctrination
Parents indoctrinate their children in a variety of ways. It's a parental obligation to teach the child the same value structure that the parent has so that the family together has common, core beliefs. The Whomptons passionately support and, therefore, indoctrinate in these things.
Indoctrination #1: The Whompton adults embrace no religious faith, which means that we're raising our kids to do the same. One of Raina's vocabulary/spelling words last week was "pray," and I realized she probably did not know what it meant because it's a word we've never used around her. She thought it meant "to beg." I submitted the revised (and more positive) definition "to hope."
Back at winter holiday-time, Raina had lots of questions about different religions and we talked about various beliefs. I told her that, in essence, religious beliefs are a way to explain how people ended up on Earth. Her response: "That's silly! A long, long time ago, little creatures changed and changed and became different animals and became monkeys and became humans. Don't people know that?!?"
Indoctrination #2: Value people by their actions. Raina was appalled to learn that some people thought that having light skin was better than darker skin or that boys were better than girls or that girls should only love boys. Her response: "But that's silly! You're born with that. You can't change the color of your skin -- all you can do is make certain you use sunscreen and don't get freckles! And I'm a girl and I love all people! Girls can marry girls and that's okay." (shakes her head) "Loving each other raises us all up and being mean brings us all down." That closing statement made me all teary-eyed.
Indoctrination #3: Differences should be embraced and celebrated. "It's great to be different!" Raina says, and she's absolutely right. I hope she keeps this one close to her heart for a long time.
Indoctrination #1: The Whompton adults embrace no religious faith, which means that we're raising our kids to do the same. One of Raina's vocabulary/spelling words last week was "pray," and I realized she probably did not know what it meant because it's a word we've never used around her. She thought it meant "to beg." I submitted the revised (and more positive) definition "to hope."
Back at winter holiday-time, Raina had lots of questions about different religions and we talked about various beliefs. I told her that, in essence, religious beliefs are a way to explain how people ended up on Earth. Her response: "That's silly! A long, long time ago, little creatures changed and changed and became different animals and became monkeys and became humans. Don't people know that?!?"
Indoctrination #2: Value people by their actions. Raina was appalled to learn that some people thought that having light skin was better than darker skin or that boys were better than girls or that girls should only love boys. Her response: "But that's silly! You're born with that. You can't change the color of your skin -- all you can do is make certain you use sunscreen and don't get freckles! And I'm a girl and I love all people! Girls can marry girls and that's okay." (shakes her head) "Loving each other raises us all up and being mean brings us all down." That closing statement made me all teary-eyed.
Indoctrination #3: Differences should be embraced and celebrated. "It's great to be different!" Raina says, and she's absolutely right. I hope she keeps this one close to her heart for a long time.
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