I was reading an article the other day and found something to be somewhat surprising and, at the same time, odd. It was a discussion about school-age students and their behavior. It was actually being stressed that kids should be rewarded--and quite often-- for their good behavior.
When did this happen? Time warp...back some 30, 40+ years...we "middle agers" are kids. What on earth would have been thought of our parents if one of them suggested that we be rewarded for behaving? Right. After being laughed out of the room, they might have been shunned, at least for a time, for such an outlandish idea. And, as a result of being expected to behave, we grew up and learned to behave pretty well as adults. We knew we wouldn't always get our way, we knew we wouldn't win nearly every contest or competition, we knew that the world didn't revolve around us, and we knew that our parents truly loved us without the need to prove it in materialistic ways. We knew we were expected to behave--so we did. End of story.
I truly hope that this phenomena doesn't last much longer; it's not healthy for anyone. Not for the parents that become somewhat crazed by listening for every microbit of information that might present itself as a child not being told how wonderful he/she is on an hourly basis. Not for the kids that think that behaving is something that presents itself as a suggestion to be considered. Not for society that continually cleans up the messes of these fractured ways of thinking.
Guess what...no matter who you are, no matter what you are...you have to learn to behave. No rewards. No pats on the back. No atta-boys. Just plain behave.
