June 3, 2013  

"To live, man must hold three things as the supreme and ruling values of life: Reason - Purpose - Self esteem. Reason as his only tool of knowledge - Purpose, as his choice of the happiness which that tool must proceed to achieve - Self esteem, as his inviolate certainty that his mind is competent to think and his person is worthy of happiness..." 

Excerpt from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I chose this passage as a leaping off point for where I see change opportunities with kids in school and in other places.

Every child wants to learn from the earliest moments of life. If we are good teachers, we ask them to think as soon as they seem capable of discerning right from wrong and x from y. When we teach them to fish through reason, we do not have to give them fish to metaphorically survive. I task my children everyday to go figure it out. Persevere. Live and learn. 

Next is purpose! This is a major stumbling point. To help your children find purpose is to encourage their desires while checking for your inappropriate influences. When children love something they find purpose. Add learning and reason to desire and you get career and life long happiness. It matters not to me whether my son or daughter becomes a physician, an athlete, an artist, a philosopher or any career as long as they find purpose and are self sustaining. 

I encourage my children to know that I am here for help, but they are otherwise on their own. 

This finally brings up self esteem!! When performed correctly, a life filled with reason and purpose will lead to self esteem. I see too many young children lacking in self esteem. The foundations for esteem were never laid and now they suffer. 

Be a great parent,