Thursday, May 8, 2014

logic vs. my 4 year old

As a parent, I've always thought that it is important to lead your children to the truth, to guide them to reason, and to encourage them to use logic and not always act out of fear or feelings so they can make sense out of this strange world around them. I think it's really important to help my youngest child to use logic when he is FREAKS out over the six-legged, tiny ant that crossed his path. I remind him that he is like a billion times bigger than the ant and, if he wanted, he could step on the ant and kill it. So, maybe screaming like a banshee is not called for and we should think of how the ant should be scared of us and not the other way around.

I've been a parent for seven years and I think maybe, just maybe, if I add it up correctly, I've maybe guided my children to act on logic instead of fear, twice. Both of my boys are still afraid of all kinds of bugs, especially flies. 

Logic and reason are especially hard when you have children with great imaginations. I've gotten into debates with my four year old over silly things. Even though they were absurd, I'm sure my Speech and Debate professor would have declared Linus the winner. Yesterday, he asked me if camels could sing. I told him, no, camels could not sing. He was not happy with my answer. So, then he asked me, "when magic turns boys into a camels, then could they sing?" In which I reasoned, "well, yes, if magic could turn you into a camel, I don't see why camels wouldn't be able to sing." Then, tonight, as my four year old, who has never attended preschool a day in his life, was going to bed, he said, "Remember when I went to that old school called Old Testament? And we watched that big movie called, 'The Truck and his Platypus?'" Hmmm...no, I do not remember that.

My plan is to continue to instill acting on logic and not always fear and emotions I just think my Linus might be a hard sell on the logic stuff.  

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