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Date: | Thu, 20 Aug 1998 02:23:08 -0500 |
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I just read this in Time Magazine, from the Yale Child Study Center:
"Tell a 7 or 8 year old, 'Johnny broke one teacup throwing it at his
sister. Sara broke eight teacups helping Dad load the dishwasher. Which
kid did the worse thing?' The average 7-year-old will pick Sara because
she broke more. By 11, they have it sorted out that intentionality is part
of the moral system. Not when you're seven."
I don't *think* my kids would have answered that way at age 7. If you want
to ask your kids and e-mail me privately with age and answer, I'd be really
curious to see what you find.
One of mine asked me, 10 years ago at age 6, what the police would do to
him if he killed someone. "They wouldn't do anything to you, because
they'd figure you were too young to know the difference between right and
wrong." "But *I know* the difference between right and wrong!" "I know
you know, but *they* wouldn't think you did." And I did indeed feel
certain that he had a very clear moral sense at age 6. Interesting
conversation, in light of our recent rash of violent crimes by the very
young, but I can't back up and pose this scenario to him.
Diane Wiessinger, Ithaca, NY
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