The Value of Values

They say it is determined whether you will be a leader or a follower, by the time you are 4-6 years old. Because it is only till this age that actual 'intelligence' gets embedded into your psyche and personality.

Your ability to grasp new things, your analytical ability, your 'initiative', and everything to do with 'pure intelligence' is formed in your brain at this age.

Quite like a foundation stone of the building of your life.

In the next stage, between say 6 and 12 years of age, your 'values' get defined, based on your foundation of 'intelligence' and its ability to handle new information about 'right' and 'wrong' being layered upon it by parents and the environment.

Quite like the beams and superstructure of a building indicate the shape of things to come.

Beyond this, everything you learn at school, play and later on at work, is just 'information' being added to your 'intelligence'. And what they do with this information - how you absorb it, analyse it, and use it - depends on the 'intelligence level' already fixed in your brain at childhood.

And this in effect, defines your personality, and the way you carry yourself mentally for the rest of your life.

Which is why despite going to the same schools, reading the same books, and working with the same environment and exposure, some of us are smarter or dumber than others!

Now we're parents. And this 'new found information' puts a huge burden on us who are in the delicate and hugely responsible position of nurturing the little minds of our own children.

I believe to inculcate values at this early stage, you need to treat them like adults, and point out what's right and wrong from an early stage. They may not seem to understand it right now, but they'll record it to memory and replay it when their minds are ready to understand.

And "pleej dont chpeak to them in thotla" - children absorb and learn by recording and replaying things in their mind. You only delay their growing up and speaking right, by speaking to them 'kiddy and silly'.

Here's a web page on 'learning' and 'values' I found on the subject. It makes for interesting and thought provoking reading - to say the least!