These are the kinds of things I think about while people watching at the playground, grocery store or school pick-up. When we see children acting like savages remember what Dr. Ray Guarendi says, "If the cookies come out burnt, do you blame the cookie?" In other words, how has the child been raised to behave by the adults around him? Do my children behave like savages when I'm not right there correcting them?
Maria Montessori talked about the interdependence of knowledge and the will. Liberty is the freedom to choose what is right and good--not evil. So we need to help small children know what is good and also help them to develop inner discipline and self-control. The hard part is that it takes so much work on our part! But it also means that we can develop alongside our children if we try to grow in self control and be good examples.
Montessori believed we need to give children real freedom, including the freedom to make bad choices.
"It's a risk. In giving freedom we are allowing him to exercise his will within boundaries. Practice some trust. Let him do this in a safe environment. Let him learn about consequences." (from my Philosophy Album, Belmont University)And that's often where the mess comes in!
