Nature vs. Nurture
Posted by Morrighan on December 7, 2011 at 4:08 am | Last modified: October 17, 2013 4:18 pmI’ve come to believe I was raised very much by nature and nurture, mom having left me to nature (ie: my own devices) or to nurture (ie: my grandparents). Gran tried her hardest to get me to behave like a lady, which believe it or not I can actually do when absolutely necessary.
Afterwards I come home, eat beans from the can (and you know what that leads to), drink from the bottle and swear like a sailor whose leave has just been cancelled.
My mother was a firm believer in absent parenting. My grandparents, on the other hand, were not. Mom didn’t seem to care how or where I presented myself, so long as she wasn’t embarrassed by my presence.
My grandparents, aunts & uncles, not so much.
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What a Child Learns
Posted by Morrighan on April 5, 2011 at 12:57 pm | Last modified: April 5, 2011 12:57 pmI found this today in my gran’s little black ‘cookbook,’ a small binder filled to bursting with old wives tales, recipes, kitchen tips, rhymes, alternative healing methods passed down from her mother and aunts, and notes about life in general. I have several of these little binders of hers, and each one is a treasure in and of itself.
This particular piece is uncredited, a snippet of age-yellowed newsprint cut from the weekend edition, or perhaps the old farmer’s magazine they used to get once in a while.
What a Child Learns
If a child lives with criticism,
He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hositility,
He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns to have confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
He learns justice.
If a child lives with approval,
He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find love in the world.
Author unknown.
Tags: behaviour, book of shadows, children, cookbook, gran, kids, life, poem, raising children, wisdom | Categories: Book of Shadows, Main, Pagan Parenting | Comments Off | Permalink