Looking for a suggestion.....

by outsmartthesystem 6 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  outsmartthesystem

  Many of you know my plight and have made some good suggestions. You know that my wife is still very much in the borg.....and that situation is perpetually exacerbated by her mettling father who she is very much attached to. My only hope is to reach my kids. They are both under 6 years old. I've heard many of you suggest a book called "Teach Your Children How To Think"......but those that have suggested it seem to think it is more geared toward older children (10+). Is there any book out there that you can study with younger kids (i.e. 4-9) that will help instill critical thinking skills?

  My fear is that I won't start early enough with something they can handle/comprehend. And by the time I do......the Watchtower mind control tactics will have already been at work for a number of years.

  Suggestions please?
• 

  journey-on

  There have been lots of studies regarding cognitive development in children. It does develop in stages and you would be surprised at how accurately early childhood development studies have narrowed the timeline down....for instance, the period when a child goes from concrete thinking to more abstract thinking. Child Psychology is an amazing field. I studied Jean Piaget theories in college as it applied to early childhood development. There are new models out there now, but Piaget is still a good place to start, imo.

  It's never too early to start teaching critical thinking. Are you good at telling stories? Stories and games followed by logical questions a child can comprehend is helpful. There are absolutely thousands of books to develop thinking skills in children. Look for the ones that are award winners. criticalthinking.com has a list of particular awards to look for.
• 

  SixofNine

  Don't waste a minute, go get this book. Get it in paper, Kindle or Nook. Be swift with your feet and fleet with your mind. Your wife will not notice her children's free minds: http://www.amazon.com/Oh-Places-Youll-Dr-Seuss/dp/0679805273

  Read it with them until it is part of the very fabric of their being. There is no way a child who itnernalizes this message will stay a JW as an adult.
• 

  SixofNine

  You have brains in your head.
  You have feet in your shoes.

  "You can steer yourself any
  direction you choose."

  You're on your own.
  And you know what you know.
  And YOU are the guy who'll
  decide where to go.
• 

  SixofNine

  He even mentions waiting for the new system:

  "You can get so confused
  that you'll start in to race down
  long wiggled roads at a break-
  necking pace..."

  and grind on for miles across
  weirdish wild space, headed, I fear,
  toward a most useless place.

  The Waiting Place.

  ...for people just waiting.
  Waiting for a train to go.
  or a bus to come, or a plane to go
  or the mail to come, or the rain to go
  or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
  or waiting around for a Yes or No
  or waiting for their hair to grow.

  "Everyone is just waiting."

  Waiting for the fish to bite
  or waiting for wind to fly a kite
  or waiting around for Friday night
  or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
  or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
  or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
  or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
  Everyone is just waiting.

  ---
• 

  SixofNine

  NO!

  That's not for you! Somehow you'll
  escape all that waiting and staying.

  "You'll find the bright places where
  Boom Bands are playing."

  With banner flip-flapping, once more
  you'll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky.
  Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

  "Oh, the places you'll go!"

  There is fun to be done!
  There are points to be scored.
  There are games to be won.
  And the magical things you can do
  with that ball will make you the
  winning-est winner of all.

  Fame!

  "You'll be famous as famous
  can be, with the whole wide world
  watching you win on TV..."

  Except when they don't.
  Because, sometimes, they won't.

  "I'm afraid that some times you'll
  play lonely games too."

  Games you can't win
  'cause you'll play against you.

  All Alone, whether you like it or not,
  Alone will be something you'll be quite a lot.
  And when you're alone, there's a
  very good chance you'll meet things
  that scare you right out of your pants.

  "There are some, down the road
  between hither and yon, that can scare
  you so much you won't want to go on."

  But on you will go though the weather
  be foul. On you will go though your
  enemies prowl. On you will go though
  the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward
  up many a frightening creek,
  though your arms may get sore
  and your sneakers may leak.

  ....
• 

  SixofNine

  Oh The Places You'll Go - at Burning Man