Education
His face screwed up in remorse, Joe was one miserable five-year old. His buddy Brandon was crying and holding his sore arm where had Joe grabbed him to get the Lego guy they both wanted for playtime. A couple of years earlier, Joe would have been merrily playing with his snatched toy. But now, his joy at winding up with the coveted piece was marred by his sense of guilt at taking it away from Brandon. As I watched, I wanted to congratulate Joe’s parents and teachers for the great job they’ve been doing. Not because Joe manhandled Brandon to get the toy, but because his remorse tells us they’ve been helping him to internalize social rules. Joe’s well on his way to joining our civilization by practicing those social rules we all must abide by. Rules like “Don’t take what’s not yours,” or “Don’t use your hands to hurt someone else,” or “Pick up your own toys.” This capacity of children is nurtured through the early years by adults demonstrating these rules in their own lives, correcting