Monkey See, Monkey Do

I am not good with kids. I don't think I will ever be. Part of the reason is that I don't treat them like most people treat kids. I treat them like tiny adult versions. I am not really good with rhetorics and exaggerations to make a point across their minds. I expect too much from them and they come short.

At some point I started questioning the practices upon which people raise their children. Although I don't have a say, I believe I can chose how to interact with them. Most parents don't treat their children with respect. They treat them like they are morons. The don't treat them like living human beings that can structure serious ideas and solve complicated problems. They treat them like severely debilitated elderly that just suffered a stroke.

Contrary to common belief, children are smart, far smarter than we like to believe. One extra ability that they particularly shine is copying human action and behavior. Most parents believe that children should listen to their advice and so they focus on words, paying little to no attention to actions. They forget though that language is only a poor and vague modern invention and than humans mostly connect with their bodies.

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A child almost always will never listen to you. They will always copy your actions. This is how every single mammal on the face of this earth operates. We are not any different. If they see you smoke, they will smoke even if you tell them is bad. Heck, even if you punish them. If they see you yell or be violent, they will do the same. A child is an excellent copy-pasta machine. It process everything the same way. Words mean almost nothing to them.

Part of the reason we see so many abused children growing up and doing the same exact thing to others is because they learned that particular violent action from a very young age. Whether it was positive or negative, it got imprinted onto them and so it molded into their own identity.

This also should make us think how people treat each other on a day to day basis. We are all more or less a trail of an abusive and deceptive clusterfuck. We smile when we want something and punish when we lose our temper — even if we love dearly those whom turn against. We replicate our most vivid childhood experiences into a mind numbing emotional paradox. No wonder most people are popping pills like M&M's.

When we speak to children like they have an I.Q of a potato chip, lying to them, exaggerating, changing our voice into a musical of mind numbing theatrics — they do understand and process our motives. They observe the difference of speech among adults and upon situations and they will grow up to do the same.

This is how most humans fall into this behavioral vicious cycle. Our actions shape them in ways we cannot even fathom. The question is: Can we escape from the mental shackles that have been imprinted on to us?