In Robert Coles’ article, I Listen to My Parents and I Wonder What They Believe, he argues children perceive ethical issues and need guidance to develop their moral principles. Coles interviews numerous children and asks them questions regarding their moral beliefs. He uses the children’s moral questions and answers as evidence for his argument. Coles urges parents to engage with their children’s moral education to help their children avoid finding ‘wrong’ answers, and to help them establish a moral framework to discern the ‘right’ answers. Parents who ignore their children’s moral questions deny their children an opportunity to develop a moral standard which enables them to evaluate ethics.
Children yearn for their parents’ correct guidance to help them evaluate their surrounding inappropriate sources with an ethical moral standard. …show more content…
Coles’ statement supports this argument, “They need a larger view of the world, a moral context, as it were- a faith that addresses itself to the meaning of this life we all live and, soon enough, let go of” (Coles, 2003, pg. 441). Based Coles’ argument which specifies children’s need for a principled worldview to navigate their morals within challenging environments. Another nine-year-old girl observes her parents’ response to a moral conflict and strives to comprehend their rationalization for their response. She expresses, “But you should honor your mother and father most of all; that’s why you should find out what they think and then sort of copy them. But sometimes you’re not sure if you’re on the right track” (Coles, 2003, pg. 439). The young girl lacks the understanding of her parents’ moral standards, yet she assumes her parents understand their moral reasoning. Therefore, she resolves to emulate her parents. Children mimic the behaviors of influential characters, so parents who also exhibit a moral standard provide better guidance for their
Children yearn for their parents’ correct guidance to help them evaluate their surrounding inappropriate sources with an ethical moral standard. …show more content…
Coles’ statement supports this argument, “They need a larger view of the world, a moral context, as it were- a faith that addresses itself to the meaning of this life we all live and, soon enough, let go of” (Coles, 2003, pg. 441). Based Coles’ argument which specifies children’s need for a principled worldview to navigate their morals within challenging environments. Another nine-year-old girl observes her parents’ response to a moral conflict and strives to comprehend their rationalization for their response. She expresses, “But you should honor your mother and father most of all; that’s why you should find out what they think and then sort of copy them. But sometimes you’re not sure if you’re on the right track” (Coles, 2003, pg. 439). The young girl lacks the understanding of her parents’ moral standards, yet she assumes her parents understand their moral reasoning. Therefore, she resolves to emulate her parents. Children mimic the behaviors of influential characters, so parents who also exhibit a moral standard provide better guidance for their