Kids love Justice

We all like to watch the good guy win, right? There's just something comforting about a movie that ends well. It makes us feel like "all's right with the world." Perhaps it's that part of us that's made in the image of a just God that makes us yearn for the bully to be punished and the good guy to get his girl.

In his book, Bringing Up Boys, Dr. Dobson articulated something I knew as both a student and teacher: kids like it when the teacher defends the weakest and least popular student. They know that if that kid is safe, then they must be safe too. This is important for all of us who are in positions of authority, whether over children or adults. We teach civility and kindness when we protect all those in our care - even from each other.

The "tricky part," (pg 48) warns Dobson, is ensuring that the protected youngster isn't given the idea that he's a "victim" in general. If a kid gets that idea, he's likely to carry it along for quite a few years and miss out on lots of things that require risk and confidence later in life. We can avoid giving our kids this idea by focusing on the specific situation at hand, rather than making general statements.

Growing up is hard to do. Sometimes life just isn't fair. Yet, by making our own homes as safe from teasing as we can, we will instill in our children basic respect for others. This will go a long way toward improving the rest of the world as time goes by.

RESOURCES

Bringing Up Boys