Ted
and I were on vacation at a gated resort in Mazatlan, Mexico. We have been going there
for several years. As our bus brought us in from the airport, we passed a truck
with several soldiers standing alert in the back with their rifles in hand.
Their faces were covered with black masks which, we discovered later, were worn
to disguise their identity from the drug lords who would kill family members of
known soldiers. They were stationed there for our protection, we were told.
As
parents, we are soldiers standing guard to protect our children, both
physically and spiritually, body and soul. Like the teachers in the Connecticut
school, we stand ready to give our life for their lives because we know their
life, potentially, holds a greater value, a value beyond our dreams.
What
are the rifles we stand guard with? As parents we are armed with courage and
intelligence to face the reality of our experiences. We know not all children
grow-up normal as all parents and teachers hope for. Should we expect adults
to find a reasonable control of weapons that can take lives? What have we
done about automobiles that also take lives? Do we have the courage and
intelligence to find restrictions in the use of guns?
Lessons
are given, at home or in school, for a young person to know how to drive before
they can get a driver’s license. Why not require the same for gun use or
ownership? Maria Montessori, if she lived today, would perhaps have materials
prepared to introduce a youth to the purpose of guns so that by the age of
sixteen, a young person would know why, when, where and how to use a gun just as a five or six year
old has learned to cross the street safely. Dr. Montessori developed a method
with self-educating materials to encourage a child’s development of normal
behavior. For more information about her method and materials, please
read my book, Montessori—Living the Good Life. www.montessoritheory.com
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