I think most people can agree that most children who have grown up in an atmosphere that is not nurturing and loving are at a disadvantage. Studies have shown that kids that are not cared for properly in the first 3 years of their lives can actually enter preschool underdeveloped mentally. That seems to be giving the effects of an environment a large amount of power, but have we ever really thought about how an environment might influence us? Sure, we all might have tendencies, or generational things, but have we thought about how a simple action might influence a child's perceptions of reality then and into adulthood? For example, children who have parents who are very negative and insulting to their children. Say the child does bad on a test, and the parent punishes the child, says the child is stupid and tells the child to try harder.
a. the parent is giving punishment without even knowing the cause, the child may have tried his best and still failed, which makes the child think that he IS stupid and there's nothing that can be done
b. telling the kid to try harder probably will not do any good..maybe they need help..
c. because the child was not encouraged, he might fall behind in school, not develop accordingly, fail numerous grades, and then drop out of school, which might make him turn to criminal activities because of lack of work, which might lead him to drugs, among other things, which gives him a life of addiction.
All of these things can be a process from childhood. Some people have different thought patterns. Some people naturally have stronger personalities or run into a great situation that causes them to realize their bad thinking pattern.
As people, we naturally model behavior. That's why there are social standards for behavior. Unfortunately, some children get stuck modeling the wrong ones.
THIS is why I think it is so important for christians to be UNDERSTANDING, PATIENT people. We are here to give the right thought patterns (Jesus thoughts) not negatively condemn them even more. Just a thought :)
