The Definition
Webster defines foolish as showing or arising from folly or lack of judgment. Folly is defined as (1) lack of good sense or (2) a foolish act or idea. The book of Proverbs says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. Do children sometimes lack good judgment? Do they do things that we might consider foolish? Or is it just being a kid?
The Difference between Wonder and Foolishness
I want to propose that there is a difference between the wonder of being a child and foolishness. Just like the difference between tenacity and stubbornness, these two concepts come from completely different foundations. The natural wonder that a child has about the world comes from a desire to learn and a curiosity about how things work. On the other hand, foolishness comes from willful disobedience just like stubbornness does. It stems from wanting the world to function the way the child thinks it should function instead of how it actually functions. Sometimes this is cute, but sometimes this is dangerous, destructive, or completely inappropriate. For example, when a 4 year old child starts talking about the moon and states his/her beliefs as if they are the gospel truth, we cannot help but smile and shake our heads. He/She is completely wrong, but there is no harm in his/her opinions. This constitutes cute foolishness. We know eventually the child will learn the truth. On the other hand, when a child believes he/she should be able to jump off the top of the slide and fly, we have a problem. That type of foolishness must be curbed immediately to avoid a tragedy.
How Obedience vs. Choices Comes into Play
Where foolishness hits gray area tends to be where people of differing worldviews diverge on what is appropriate and what is not. This topic very much comes down to whether a person's worldview believes in obedience or choices. Those philosophies that believe a child should have choices and should not be made to obey, do not see foolishness in the actions of children. They lump together into the wonderment of childhood both the curiosity and wonderment of a child with the wrong ideas that a child has. These philosophies make no distinctions between the two and see no need to actively curb a child's wrong ideas until that child discovers the truth on his/her own. On the flip side, those worldviews that put emphasis on obedience do see foolishness in the actions of children. These philosophies make the distinction between the natural curiosity of a child and the wrong ideas and actions that a child has or does.
What Do You Believe?
At this point I want you to reflect on your own beliefs about foolishness. Do you believe that a parent or caregiver should not actively correct a child's wrong notions or actions because it is just part of being a kid? What if those wrong beliefs or actions put the child or someone else in danger? Do you believe that a child should learn to do what is right or develop their own sense of right and wrong from their experiences? Is there inappropriate behavior that falls under the category of foolishness that a parent or caregiver should actively curb? How you honestly answer those questions will determine on which side of this debate you find yourself.
How Has Wrong Perceptions Affected You?
Now I want you to reflect on your own experiences with foolishness in your own life. Have there been times in your life that your wrong perceptions of situations caused you grief, harm, or other bad effects? Have you done things in your life that were based on what you now know as foolishness that brought ill effects? Can you think of a time when foolishness brought you happiness and good things? Foolishness is really only cute in babies, toddlers, and preschoolers if we are completely honest. Every cute aspect of foolishness has a time limit. What is cute in a baby, brings concern in a preschooler. The foolishness in which a teenager believes becomes a serious problem when that same foolishness is present in an adult. We all expect people to outgrow their foolishness. Are we seeing young adults outgrow their foolish notions when they reach adulthood? Are we seeing grade school children outgrowing the foolish actions of preschoolers? Are we seeing preschoolers outgrowing the foolish notions of toddlers? I do not think we are seeing an adequate amount of outgrowing foolish notions in our present society. Way too many young adults think that they should be able to act just like they do in high school when they enter the adult work force. Any employer will tell you that way too many young adults think that they should be able to stay on their cell phone all day and get paid for it. A very obvious foolish notion left over from their teenage years.
Sow Foolishness, Reap Foolishness
Why are we not seeing an adequate amount of outgrowing foolish notions? I truly believe it is because we are not actively curbing those notions in young children and continuing the curbing throughout their entire childhood and adolescence. We see as innocent and cute actions and notions that previous generations actively sought to curb. We are sowing foolishness, and foolishness is what we are reaping.
Let's bring this into the early childhood realm. Be very careful what you encourage because that will be what you sow. If you sow sassiness, then sassiness will be what you reap. Sometimes we do not outright encourage aspects of foolishness so much as we ignore them. Foolishness is something that must be actively curbed, or it spreads like gangrene. Ignoring it is the same as sowing it. Older generations knew this. Somewhere in the last 50 years that wisdom has escaped our societal consciousness, and we have reaped foolishness in great abundance. I am afraid that this means in practical terms that raising toddlers and preschoolers calls for a greater amount of curbing than we see now. How you curb is up to you. However, choosing not to curb really does not need to be an option. Our society already scares me because of what we have allowed. I really do not like to think about how much worse it will get before we either implode or come to our senses.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!!
Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
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