A Child’s Sense of Morality
Children develop their sense of morality through varying influences, such as their parents or sources outside of the home. As displayed in Robert Cole’s essay, “I Listen to My Parents and I Wonder What They Believe,” children tend to listen to their parents more than any other source for moral guidance. Although multiple societal influences contribute to a child’s perception of morality, parents’ decisions shape a child’s moral beliefs.
A parent’s decisions shape a child’s moral beliefs when a child confronts a questionable experience. They often seek their parents for guidance on what they should believe. For example, when “a girl of eight whose father owns coal fields [finds out that] there was an explosion in a mine [her] daddy owns,” she asks her daddy why this has happened. Her …show more content…
For example, when a nine-year-old boy interacts with his sister who attends Sunday school, he originally believes the colored people separate themselves from whites because of their inferiority. However, his sister listens to her Sunday school teacher and learns that “everyone is a child of God” (Coles, 2003, p. 440). The subject of racial acceptance conflicts with the boy’s father’s segregated belief, and thus instigates moral confusion. The child finally decides to take his mother’s side, and “[asks] God to tell [him] what’s the right thing to do” (Coles, 2003, p. 440). The behavior of asking God for help demonstrates that the child experiences a nagging internal conflict that only resolves itself by prayer.
Throughout all of Cole’s examples, parents’ decisions primarily inspire a child’s moral beliefs. Because children ask moral questions, mimic a parent’s beliefs, and deal with internal conflict, they need parents to help make moral decisions. Children depend on parents more than outside influences for moral