Why Children Need Life Lessons
We are not born with ethics and values - They must be taught

The example of the two-year old child
We are not born with ethics, but rather ethics must be learned (and thus they must be taught).

As proof, consider the example of two children, both two years old, playing together.  They are playing with a toy that is owned by one of them.  It would not be surprising that the second child grabs the toy and says "mine".  If it were left to the child, they would take the toy home to keep.  We submit that ethics are not innate in humans.  In fact, we believe just the opposite is true.  We believe that children need to be taught ethics starting at a very young age. 

Being a good role model is not enough
Being a good role model is an essential element of teaching ethics.  But being a role model is not nearly enough alone.  Again, consider the example of the two children.  The parents of the child taking the toy may be ethical and honest in everything they do, but that alone will have no impact on a two-year old.  The child must be taught ethics and values.

Correcting learned behavior can be difficult
Many parents wait until they see their child exhibit undesirable behavior before they begin the process of trying to correct the behavior.  This unfortunately assumes that the parent will be present when the undesirable behavior first occurs - which is not always possible - and it becomes less likely as the child grows.  This gives the child the opportunity to practice the undesirable behavior multiple times before it is finally seen and addressed.  Changing learned behavior can be very challenging, especially as the child reaches the teen years.

Our objective
So how might we do a better job of proactively teaching ethics and values to children?  That is the objective of Life Lessons.  And while we are taking the time to discuss ethics and values with children, we believe it is also appropriate to motivate and inspire – thus you will also see these topics throughout the process.

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