Role Models?

Are children truly a reflection of their parents (or adults they are in contact with), and that social conditioning (aka family background) plays an indispensable role in shaping a child's mannerism and behaviour, mentality and even the things he/she says? And are adults too quick to judge who's right (and who's in the wrong) when things go wrong?

Why do I even ask? Today, I was totally appalled to hear a 10-year-old boy rambling maliciously about another's dead mother at an innovation workshop this morning. And it's complicated because this boy - the one with the alleged dead mother - is a problematic student in class ("He has issues", according to one of his school teachers). The funny thing was, the one rambling maliciously wasn't reprimanded (not a wee bit, no) while the one with the bad reputation was blamed for the conflict (Ironically, that school teacher didn't witnessed the incident; I did).

And why does one kid laugh at another for being a retard when he/she has given a wrong answer? So the question is, who put that thought into the young head? It must have come from somewhere, right? Where?

And now, I'm reminded how I've always been totally irked by parents who warn their kids to stop doing something (usually something undesirable) because they will get a tongue-lashing from someone else (Of course, I guess you can almost hear me go "WTH?" in my mind whenever I hear that) and not that they shouldn't be doing it because ... [a reasonable explanation why not]. Not too long ago, I was told that a child completes the family unit - which is, well, theoretically true. But I can't help but wonder how many people actually realise the responsibility in raising a kid. Do you?