First graders suspended after plotting to kill classmate

a reply to: kisin

Life however is not a blank sheet, everyone being a product of society.

The old saying "monkey see monkey do" seems to apply especially regarding children.

a reply to: DeathSlayer

We don't expose our kids to blatant violence, but even some of the more docile cartoons slip something in now and then. What's important is to be watching with your kids, especially early in life, and talk about what's happening.

My son has been going through a phase now where he says, "you shouldn't hit people or hurt people. Bad guys hit people but good guys try to stop the bad guys so they don't hurt people." - He then usually goes on to affirm that we're good guys. I'll take that.

Sheltering them completely won't work and won't teach any lessons, but things should be kept age-appropriate

Better get 'em now while you can.

These could be future politicians holding high offices !!!!

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: kisin

Life however is not a blank sheet, everyone being a product of society.

The old saying "monkey see monkey do" seems to apply especially regarding children.

So you are saying that when people are born they are who they are.....and who they will forever be, all before they are even an hour old?

originally posted by: MystikMushroom

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: kisin

Life however is not a blank sheet, everyone being a product of society.

The old saying "monkey see monkey do" seems to apply especially regarding children.

So you are saying that when people are born they are who they are.....and who they will forever be, all before they are even an hour old?

I absolutely believe that to be true

That we are born who we are.

Sure, you can teach and mold to enhance the positive, but in my experience the core of who a person is is hard wired.

a reply to: Annee

I think it's more complex than that. Genes have something to do with it, but experiences do as well. We are, after all merely a walking collection of experiences. That's who we are, what makes us who we are. Our memories of past events and how we react to new ones is based on memories of experiences.

Depression, OCD, neurological disorders, chemical imbalances -- those are indeed physical and can be inflamed by bad experiences. There are probably people out there with brain chemistry that could make them into mass murderers, but because they haven't had the experiences or triggers -- they're walking right along side us.

I'd say its 50-50, but that's a "well I don't really know" cop-out. I'm not believer in this "evil" or "good" soul thing that somehow magically implants itself into a fetus at some undetermined time during pregnancy.

We all come from, and go back to the same ocean of mind that created everything. We're just cups of soul-water drawn from the same well, and our cups get poured back into the communal well once we leave. It all gets mixed around, so to me -- a "soul" isn't a unique thing so to speak.

It would be, in a sense more of a material, a resource than than a unique object. Inside of all of us are all the memories, all the experiences, all the knowledge, all universes that ever were or will be. We, however, are only allowed to view one at a time in our monkey-bodies, as we can only handle one cup of this soul-water from the well at a time....

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Yes, of course, it is more complex.

Such as "elastic brain" - environment, associations, experiences, etc.

But, my experience in raising kids (on my 3rd generation), is that they are born who they are. They should be raised from the inside out.

Meaning get to know them, work from who they are to find their fit as a successful adult in this crazy world.

Why complicate it more by trying to make them fit it some predetermined box they'll probably rebel against.

a reply to: Annee

Which makes this case more bizarre, this was a Waldorf school -- quite possibly the most "creative, free-form" type of school there is.

You won't find any boxes in that school. Lot's of knitting needles though.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

No not at all, if fact im stating exactly the opposite. The world, its surroundings and circumstance shape the person hence everyone is a product of the society they are born into.

Children have a tendency to copy and repeat what they see, its kind of how we learn hence monkey see, monkey do.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
a reply to: Annee

Which makes this case more bizarre, this was a Waldorf school -- quite possibly the most "creative, free-form" type of school there is.

You won't find any boxes in that school. Lot's of knitting needles though.

I'm very aware of Waldorf.

It depends on who's in charge. It can be interpretive.

And, as always, parent involvement is critical. No school can raise a child.

I work very closely with the school and teachers of my high functioning autistic first grader.

Thanks op for posting, S&F

It is truly amazing that children this young conspired to murder a fellow classmate. They thought of the procedure and the "poison". This wasn't a spontaneous decision. Planned murder by (almost)murderous children. Because they didn't succeed is the only thing that separates them from.....a murderer. Little did they know that silica gel isn't poisonous, nor did they have opportunity to put their full plan in operation. Sick, sick children.

What's worse imho, is the police decided to let the school handle the punishment. So a young child can be prosecuted for kissing a mate on the cheek, eating a poptart into the shape of a gun or pretending to throw fake hand grenades to blow up a fake monster. But actually conspire to commit murder???? No big deal.