11.09.07
The Power of Example
Reading Letters from An American Farmer this week for school, I came across an interesting word choice by Crevecoeur when talking about influence on kids. He talked about “the power of example.” Now I’m not certain when the phrase peer pressure first came into use, but it dawned on me that perhaps it wasn’t in heavy circulation at the time when the book was written, and that he was discussing a very similar thing. Yet “the power of example,” unlike peer pressure, doesn’t limit us to just our peers, but includes our parents.
Perhaps it shows a shifting of focus. Today, instead of talking about the power of example parents can have on their children, we talk about the power of example that other children can have. Both are very real, but we notice two things by it. First, that parents have less influence these days. They are with their children less than their peers, and so its not surprising that they are the ones who shape them. Second, that we don’t value the power that a parents example can have as much anymore. They’ve given up their role as the primary givers of example.
Homeschooling anyone?