When I first noticed I was pretty I wanted to cut my face. I half wished some terrible accident would befall me so that I wouldn't be pretty anymore. But I couldn't really wish it. I was already too vain. Being in possession of beauty, I was afraid to lose it.
2 Marcheshvan 5774
Monday, October 14, 2013
Playing with Fire
People shouldn't teach their children not to touch fire.
One day, B'ezrat Hashem, I will have a daughter of my own, and that first time she reaches toward a flame I will not slap her hand.
I will not tell her not to touch it.
I will hold it up to her and say, "This will hurt a lot. With that understanding, you may go ahead and touch it if you want. You have been informed of the consequences and now you can weigh your options. It is up to you to make an informed decision. So you can still touch the fire if you want, but you should know that it's going to hurt a lot."
It is our responsibility to teach our children to make responsible, informed decisions, not to protect them from everything that could possibly cause them pain. You can't protect them forever, and they wont want you to. They'll have to make those decisions for themselves one day anyway, so you ought to teach them how while you can still do it in a safe, controlled environment, under your supervision. Give them the tools they will need one day to become independent.
Your kid wont get hurt if she sticks her hand into that flame when you're holding it, but she will lose an awful lot if you never teach her how to take risks.
29 Elul 5773
One day, B'ezrat Hashem, I will have a daughter of my own, and that first time she reaches toward a flame I will not slap her hand.
I will not tell her not to touch it.
I will hold it up to her and say, "This will hurt a lot. With that understanding, you may go ahead and touch it if you want. You have been informed of the consequences and now you can weigh your options. It is up to you to make an informed decision. So you can still touch the fire if you want, but you should know that it's going to hurt a lot."
It is our responsibility to teach our children to make responsible, informed decisions, not to protect them from everything that could possibly cause them pain. You can't protect them forever, and they wont want you to. They'll have to make those decisions for themselves one day anyway, so you ought to teach them how while you can still do it in a safe, controlled environment, under your supervision. Give them the tools they will need one day to become independent.
Your kid wont get hurt if she sticks her hand into that flame when you're holding it, but she will lose an awful lot if you never teach her how to take risks.
29 Elul 5773
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