Self-reliance is a good lesson for children

By Staff
Michelle Blaylock, Mom's Corner
I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July. The Blaylocks were busy as usual. We had our own little celebration at home. The kids had a great time shooting off their fireworks (with lots of parental supervision).
I'm a big fan of parental supervision, but I also believe that as parents we need to teach our kids to think for themselves, too. Recently, I've begun to wonder if our population as a whole is forgetting how to think for themselves. Why would I think this? I've been reading labels and instructions on all sorts of things and it amazes me that companies need to tell people some of this stuff.
I mean, honestly, what idiot would not know that fireworks are combustible? Or who in their right mind would stand over a bottle rocket and watch it go off?
Well, I met one of those idiots a few years ago on a 4th of July when we ended up in the emergency room with our oldest daughter due to a migraine. As we were registering, a young man came in with his hand wrapped up in a towel and obviously in a large quantity of pain. I heard the receptionist ask what the injury was. The man didn't reply, but unwrapped his hand. I won't go into the graphic detail, but the hand was severely burned.
I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. A friend had come in with him and, being the nosey person I am, I asked what on earth he had done.
His friend said that he had held a firecracker in his hand. My reply was, "Why would he do that?"
As a rule, alcohol and fireworks do not belong together. Yep, you got it. He was drunk. I think you would have to be drunk to hold a lit firecracker in your hand.
Other instructions I've noticed recently were on a frozen dinner that I was thinking about picking up for the kids when John and I were going out. It said, "Heat before eating. No! Really?
Some instructions on appliances also make me wonder if people as a whole have forgotten to use their brain or are just stupid. For example, we recently purchased a new vacuum cleaner and on the instructions it says, "This vacuum cleaner creates suction and contains a revolving brush roll." I have to ask, "What else would a vacuum cleaner do?" Isn't that why you buy a vacuum cleaner?
On our food processor is a warning that "the blade and disc are sharp." Well, I hope they are. How else could they chop, grind or grate the food?
How about this one? I found it in our lawn mower's instructions, "Do not put hands or feet near or under rotating parts." Isn't that common sense?
Not too long ago one of the kids was heating something up in the microwave and the package warned that the food would be hot after heating. What else would you expect it to be?
I've had other occasions where it seems common sense is a thing of the past. I went grocery shopping early one morning when we lived in Kentucky and picked up donuts as a treat for the kids. As I was checking out, the cashier picked up the box of donuts and they fell on the floor. She looked at me and said (really she said), "I guess you want new ones, huh?" My first thought was to say, "Nah, I'll just eat them off the floor." I didn't. Instead I said, "Umm, yes I want new ones." She responded with, "It may take a few minutes." Well, what did she think? I wouldn't want to wait and would take the ones off the floor? My response, "Well, that's fine I'll wait." Good grief! What happened to her common sense?
I really feel sorry for the companies that get sued just because they don't protect people against themselves. I was watching 60 Minutes several years ago and they were interviewing an owner of a ladder company that was being sued by someone, because there wasn't a warning on the ladder not to set it on a frozen manure pile. You see, the manure pile had thawed. The ladder had tipped. The man had fallen and was suing the ladder company for his injuries. And we wonder why things keep getting more expensive? I think I can guess what part of the problem is.
So how can we teach our kids to think for themselves? Well, there is no way to guarantee that they will learn to, but I work hard to try.
Here are some things that I do. I ask a lot of, "What do you think?" and "Why?" questions. I encourage them to read directions and then discuss why do they think the company put that on the box or is it necessary. We also talk about common sense. I encourage the kids to do things that require planning. For example, meals, craft projects, their own birthday parties, what they want to do on a trip, etc. I also let my kids fail. (I know I'm an awful mother.)
If you keep your kids from never being hurt, then they won't learn how to deal with failure when they encounter it as adults. Everyone fails, everyone makes a mistake, everyone has to learn how to pick up their pieces and try again. I also let my kids see me make mistakes so they learn that it's okay to mess up and also see how I deal with it. Teaching by example is a very powerful method.
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