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>>You're going to look into a young child's eyes and
tell that child you CAN'T RIDE? I don't see how you can do this. I
may not have millions of miles, I really don't care. My whole point here
is LIFE AS A JUNIOR... well it was just that LIFE.
>*Jinnifer-being a responsible adult means doing this all
the time. From looking into their eyes and telling them not to stick their
finger into a light socket, to breaking their heart becuase they aren't allowed
to drive a car.
I beg to differ. Being a responsible adult means not
shackling a child any more than one is already forced to by society.
If a child truly has a dream and an aptitude, being a responsible adult
means putting enough barriers in the way to weed out trivial whims, but not so
many that the determined child can't surmount them. Driving a
car?? There ARE places one can drive besides the public highway
system. I started driving for my father to feed cattle when I was too
small to reach the pedals and had to stand on the seat of the
old Willys Jeep--I knew I could make it stop by turning off the key.
When I wanted to buy a stallion at age 15, my dad, bless his heart, didn't tell
me no--he set conditions that I would not have met, had it not been something I
was really ready and determined to do. So if I had failed, it would have
been because I had not done my homework (lesson learned for next
time), not because I was told I couldn't. Telling a child he can't is
programming him for mediocrity, or worse yet, failure. It is the most
irresponsible thing parents can do. I know--sometimes it is a tightrope
when a parent knows a child might be getting in over his or her head--parenting
is a very challenging occupation.
Heidi
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