Are children being taught to be 'Good'?

[Khandro]

By which I mean, the importance of manners, being kind to others and animals, having self-respect and decorum, benevolence etc. .... well, you know what I mean. All emphasis now seems to be on 'being clever' and passing exams, where does behaviour fit in to the school or home curriculum?

[Ringoid]

Many parents that smoke, drink alcohol and eat unhealthy are teaching their kids bad, despite any hypocritical argument that they're teaching good in other ways.

[boxtops]

More emphasis is on material possessions, IMO, than in being considerate to other people.

[ummmm]

Yes, they are.

[boxtops]

I do think it depends on the family life. Most youngsters I know are considerate and reasonably polite.

[karenmac60]

I have always taught my daughter to be kind, caring and considerate (although, she always has been anyway) and from the behaviour of her friends I can only presume they have also been taught the importance of such things. Interestingly, her Religious Education classes at school covers morality in great detail. They learn about world religions, but they also learn about ethics and morals which seems not only very interesting, but extremely valuable.

[Khandro]

I'm relieved to learn that 'morality' is being taught, but I would like to see more of it put into everyday practise. Learning about 'world religions' does not enable a child to feel compassion to other beings, don't you think?

[karenmac60]

I think it teaches tolerance. I'm an athiest, but I still think learning a little about others teaches respect for others beliefs, and I am also glad that they don't JUST learn about religion (given that it's RE, it wouldn't be out of the question). What exactly do you mean about 'seeing it put into practise'? From where I'm standing it is, but maybe you have something more active in mind.

[JonnyBoy12]

I was always taught to "love thy neighbour". A friend added to this motto by saying "love thy neighbour, but don't get caught".

Hope this helps.

[B00]

I don't think behaviour should be taught at school at all. School should purely be for educating children on an academic level and nothing else. Self respect, respect for others, manners etc should be taught, and set by example, by parents.

[ummmm]

Of course behaviour should also be taught in school.

That would end up a similar situation to what many single parents face. Work hard with their child all week...child goes off to the other parent for the weekend...and returns a brat. They need consistency both at school and at home.

[Khandro]

@karen. By putting it into practise, I echo G.K.Chesterton ( I happen to be re-reading) who tirelessly points to the attitude," I love my fellow-man, but hate my next-door neighbour".
@ummmm, you're dead right about consistency, but some children are getting it from neither.

[ummmm]

Yes Khandro....but that has always happened. Some parents are just better than others. I think the majority are good though.

[sith123]

people now believe that behaviour should be taught at home, i however agree with this but also thing that its unfair that a clever person can be rude but stillpass, so i think that there should be beasic classes on responsibilities, being helpful etc

[Khandro]

I agree sith, I would rather have a good person, to a clever person. Children need to be shown that a person only become virtuous by performing virtuous acts.

[Rapunzel61]

I think today's parents, (some of them, not all, of course) leave it to the schools too much, and don't teach kids enough themselves. Manners should be taught in the home, as should general 'good' behaviour, time and time again I'm amazed at the rudeness, bad manners and the way kids talk to their parents, without being admonished.

[beso]

Children learn about respect through being treted with respect. Many people treat children as lesser beings than they do adults then wonder why they don't get respect back.

"Respect your elders" is one of the most short-sighted paradigms in traditional morality.

[Answerprancer]

AFAIK kids these days are more in touch with emotional feelings and kinship than they ever were.
Boys in particular are much more openly 'touchy feely' these days than 'kick yer f*cking head in' as it was in the 70s when I was a kid.
That's got to be 'good' hasn't it ?

[jake-the-peg]

What does "Good" actually mean?

It means simply doing things that people approve of - fitting in - not rocking the boat.

Sounds like a grossly overrated virtue to me!

As for the idea that children should respect others by default - especially elders, you look around and see invasions wars famines. You see pollution and global warming and financial collapse cause by the greed of the wealthy.

Then you see people on this forum objecting to us paying for overseas aid to the poorest people, cloing their eyes and pretendinding that climate change doesn't exist.

And then saying "respect us, we're older than you and know better"

I'm not surprised the answer is F-Off !!

In that context lecturing them on manners seems pretty absurd - I hope their generation does better than our has!

[sith123]

i think the most simple answer to this question is that everyone, no matter age, gender, race etc should respect each other, if that happened we wouldnt be here having this convo