I Listen To My Parents And I Wonder What They Believe Summary

Confusion

“We do not see that our children also make ethical decision every day in their own lives, or realize how attuned they may be to moral currents and issues in the larger society” (Coles, 2003, p. 438). This quotation in “I listen to my parents and I wonder what they believe” by Robert Coles demonstrates the way parents forget to teach morals to children. While growing up, children have questions about morals and do not get any answers. Parents teach their children about ethics while they focus on the emotional needs of kids; however, parents forget about morals. Children learn morals from their parents, who themselves do not fully understand morals entirely. Creating an endless cycle of confusion within parents and children dealing with morals. Moral Abdication of parents creates moral confusion in children.

Moral abdication causes

Children ask questions about morals, but parents, confused themselves, do not know how to answer. While seeking answers, children ask for guidance from any authority figure they can find. “When I say my prayers, I ask God to tell me what’s the right thing to do” (Coles, 2003, p.440). With parents not teaching morals to children, they left alone searching for answers. Children look for answers to their questions from other people and even in God. Parents send children to other sources for answers to the questions asked of them. “They summon up the Bible, the flag, history, novels, aphorisms, philosophical or political sayings, personal memories—all in an effort to teach children how to behave, what and whom to respect and for which reasons” (Coles, 2003, p.440). Parents give up their right to teach their children important lessons. By passing their children on to other sources, parents waste the vital moments with their children. A parent’s job consists of educating their child and preparing that child with the necessary