Editor:
As parents and grandparents, we are constantly reminded that kids are tiny “virtual recorders.” Do something naughty and it is imprinted on their absorbent little minds. Say something inappropriate and the neighborhood will soon know of it.
Many years ago my father, who told me never to lie, bought me a pair of skis in the U.S. Passing through the border, he failed to declare them when asked. I asked why he had lied to the border guard. He said it wasn’t “really” a lie and that this was “different.” That was over 60 years ago but I recall the occasion vividly. His explanation sits no better with me today than it did then.
Last Saturday my wife was buying plants at Canadian Tire. When she returned to the car, a Canadian Tire employee and another couple came over and pointed out where a buggy had crashed into the car door, leaving a large gash. Both reported seeing a mother with a child of four to six years of age who was pushing the buggy. Unfortunately, none of them remembered the woman’s licence plate number. No one reported it to the store and no note was left on our windshield.
Minding a child is always difficult, and making mistakes is a part of life. We all make them – they can be our greatest teachers. But what they teach is up to each one of us. And so, I say to the mother: what lesson do you think you taught your child? When you ask him in the coming years to take responsibility for his mistakes, what might he say to you in response – will he remind you of your failure on this day? Will he recall this incident 60 years on?
Michael Ross, Sechelt
