Learning or unlearning?

No question about it.  Children say and do the darnedest things.  Many parents would agree that one of the single most difficult parenting challenges involves keeping a stern “mom face” or “dad face,” when dealing with a child – especially when on the inside, the parent is really laughing so hard at what just happened that tears begin to form.  The question is, WHY do children say or do particular things?  Most would say it is simply because they are unlearned, curious, and naïve.  But is it really that simple?

 

Many people in Western society believe that any birth signals the arrival of a new soul.  That soul, eternal even after the death of the corporeal body, will hopefully go on to heaven after the passing of a righteous life.  Eastern society emphasizes reincarnation – a system by which the same soul returns again and again as an eternal life force, absorbing knowledge and life experience, until a state of enlightenment is reached.  That’s a lot of learning!  But then again, it may very well be a lot of unlearning too, depending upon how much of a jump is involved from lifetime to lifetime.

 

Why would a particular child be unusually modest?  Many babies can (and do) run around sans clothes as natural as the day they were born.  Yet some have an innate sense of modesty from day one.  Maybe… just maybe… that child’s last stop was London during the reign of Queen Victoria.  Could the prudent behavior of the time carried through in some innate form?  The child may not know WHY he or she feels so uncomfortable out of clothes, but a (past) lifetime of experience simply created a natural state of behavior.

 

Let’s look at another example.  Take a full-fledged Communist guard from a Stalinist Russia.  Fast forward to a new birth in modern America.  This child may very well be the perfect example of good behavior in the classroom.  The child follows instructions to the letter.  The child NEVER talks back to authority.  Yet, the child may very well be the epitome of the tattle-tale every time he sees another child misbehave.  Why?  Because that is behavior that he has carried forward.  And it may take getting beat up at recess several times before this behavior is unlearned.

 

Whether you believe in this theory or not, play with it.  The next time you see a child do something that catches your attention, ask why.  Does the child have an unexplained phobia?  Is the child terrified of heights even though he or she has never been in a particularly high place?  Maybe the last time around ended with a tragic fall.  Does the child break out in tears at the thought of being in the water?  You would too, if you had seen the tragic drowning that led to the latest incarnation.  Does the child have an amazing ability to concentrate when playing with blocks?  Just maybe he was the architect behind the Empire State Building. 

 

Who knows what a fascinating assortment of experiences may very well be contained in the funny and fantastic little person before you.  But just when you think, “No doubt about it… my kid is weird,” remember – there really might be a good reason.

More food porn

I just finished the main bit of my shopping for Gyldenhold Anniversary.  Over $13.00 for a bottle of Verjuice?  SHEESH!  I'm in the wrong business!!!

I went to five grocery stores today and powershopped like a pro!  And once again, I must confess, I had a feast-induced moment of Satanic possession.  Standing in the checkout line at Sams Club, I was loading my meat (giggle!) onto the conveyor belt, and working on some calculations in my head.  The guy in back of me kept trying to strike up a conversation.  "Wow!" he would exclaim.  "That's a lot of meat!"  I would smile, nod my head, and try again to concentrate on whatever it was that he had just distracted me from doing.

After the 3rd time interrupting me in mid-thought, the guy asked, "So what are you gonna do with all that?"  That was when the demon took over.  "I am catering the 20th anniversary dinner for the American Vegetarian Society."

He looked confused, but it shut him up.

Getting home, I played Freezer Tetris.  WooHOO!