A host and his guest were discussing philosophies of education. One advocated not giving children any religious instruction, calling it “conditioning.” The host did not respond, but invited his visitor to the garden.
Upon entering the garden, the visitor was surprised to see nothing but huge tangles of weeds.
“Why, this is not a garden,” he exclaimed. “There is nothing but weeds here!”
“Well, you must understand,” answered the host, “I do not wish to infringe upon the liberty of my garden in any way. I allow it to express itself freely and produce whatever it thinks is best.”
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”
“To decide not to decide is a decision.”
“Great men are not born, they develop. Only infants are born.”
“Vacant lots and vacant minds become dumping grounds for rubbish.”
I've been a believer in nurture over nature since before I had my first baby, but seeing the reality of it in real life still shocked me! For the past few years, I've assumed my oldest kiddo was just intrinsically wonderful. He's well-behaved, thoughtful, and a pretty good listener. He's probably the one I'm most in tune with of the whole family. But on vacation recently, he became completely whiny and petulant without his usual structure. He was outright self-absorbed. As well, he threw tantrums when he didn't get his way. It just confirms the importance of intentional parenting - he's not a good kid because he's a good kid. He's a good kid because I'm a good mama. And he will continue to be a good kid as long as his father and I keep him in an orderly household where he can't run amok!