The Moral Intellect

During the early years, children grow by leaps and bounds. Their rapid growth can be measured in three different areas: physical, intellectual, and moral. It's the relationship between intellectual and moral growth that I want to explore today.

Babywise II points out that in adults, beliefs precede actions but in children actions precede beliefs. This means that if we want our children to develop a strong moral compass (beliefs), we must train them in the concrete world of actions. Before a child can understand why Mom doesn't want him to touch the electrical outlet or drop his food from the highchair, he must learn to restrict his actions. Obedience and self-control are the first morals that a child learns.

Incidentally, early moral training will benefit intellectual growth as well. When a child learns that sometimes he must wait for his wants and needs to be gratified, he is developing self control and patience. This will give him a head start when it comes to focusing and learning and intellectual growth.

All this runs counter to what's natural and easy. It would be simpler to gratify a child's every desire. You won't have to listen to any protest. Then perhaps when Junior is old enough to understand moral concepts, you can attempt to reason him into behaving correctly. Your efforts will be unlikely to succeed however, because he will already have learned habits of immediate gratification.

Babywise II recommends beginning even in the "pretoddler" months (5 to 15) to lay the groundwork by training our children in moral behavior. No, they won't yet understand the concept, but they will develop good habits that will serve them well throughout life.

RESOURCES

Babywise II