“Monkey see monkey do” is a phrase that originated in the early 1920’s to express the act of mimicry, and the experts of mimicry are kids. The brain of an infant is like a sponge, soaking up all of the information it receives. The ability for the brain to absorb so much information, from actions to words, is necessary for a kid to develop well, but can it become a disadvantage? If so, When can the results be seen? Is it when young adults abhor discussion about “sensitive” topics in colleges and universities?
Or, is it when trigger warning have to be given before the beginning of a class to make sure the students are not being ffended in any way, shape or form? A small paragraph was submitted into the New York Times Room for Debate and in summary it asked if freedom of speech is dying in the colleges and universities across America, and the Author Alfie Kohn responded by stating that parents should not be blamed for how sensitive to certain topics college students are.
While I agree that parents should not be entirely blamed for how young adult react in their life, I do believe that the way the parents behave infant of their kids has a lot to do with how they behave as adults. In the New York Times Room for Debate topic “When Free Speech Disappears From Campus,” Kohn wrote a short article stating that “Parents Aren’t to Blame for ‘oversensitive’ College Students. The article focuses on helicopter parenting. Helicopter parenting is a term used to define parents of, specially college, students who are always monitoring their grades and how well they do in school.
Kohn discusses how just because parents monitor their kids and are, in one way or another, protective of them, that does not make them culpable for how ‘sensitive’ they become in their adult life living in a world, where freedom of speech reigns. Kohn mentioned that he looked through data nd couldn’t find any proof that disproves his argument. He continues to discuss how if helicopter parenting were a problem the evidence would be seen in previous generations of college students, and that the problem with the younger generation is that they have ‘things too easy. ‘ For the most part I agree with Kohn.
Yes, parents should not be blamed for making sure their kids get a proper education and keep their grades up. Also, helicopter parenting, from personal experience, is seen very rarely. Specially since the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act was passed in 1974. FERPA is basically an amendment that protects the records of students and prohibits anyone other than the student itself to access his or her grades. So, when Kohn states that “Helicopter parenting’ of college-aged students is neither as pervasive nor as pernicious as we’ve been led to believe” I agree with him.
I look at my life and how I have been raised and how I live and I realize that I am very open when it comes to discussing all topics. I love arguments that make people reconsider their position of any topics whether it be: abortion, homosexuality, and religion. I was raised in a home where my parents where lways making sure I kept an A or B average in all my classes and always at the top of my class and still I don’t feel coddle and I am not squeamish by talks of rape and abuse because I feel they are topics that need to be discussed. In that way mr.
Kohn is completely right. However, I don’t believe parents are guilt free, and they are responsible, to some degree, for the behavior of young adults now days. According to an article published on Serendip Studios named “Sponge Like Brain,” the first five years in a babies life are the most important years in a persons life. During this time he neurons in a child’s brain are making new connections and every new information they receive is absorbed as if a sponge were absorbing water. What am I trying to point out here you may ask yourself?
Well, as humans we have a tendency to act on impulse, and we do as we see not as we’re told. So, even if parents tell their children to be outgoing and always be brave and speak up; if a kid sees that the parents are shy and reserved and do not like speaking out then the children will be the same way. While the author does not blatantly state that parents should not be blames, other than in the tittle, he does ask for eople who blame parents to have the evidence that lead them to that conclusion “Of course I support the right of commentators to say any silly or tendentious thing they want.
But let’s demand that they defend such casual claims – even if doing so makes them uncomfortable. (Kohn)” Kohn’s idea is illogical. The idea is illogical because parents are a constant force that teach kids right from wrong, and discarding that the possibility that they can not be blamed for how shy and reserved adults are is preposterous. Also the long term effect that this could cause on parenthood is extreme. Articles such as his could inevitably and accidentally cause parents to forget that their actions as parents cause an extreme and direct effect on the way a kids grows.
Growing up my parents have always been very opened. Unlike most parents my mom and dad feel free to openly discuss sex with us at a young age. Before school began teaching me about safe sex and different diseases transmitted through sex, my parents had already spoken to me about it because they wanted me to be safe. As time goes on our discussions and ‘arguments’ have become more elaborate and more intricate. As I look at my young adult life I see that I m just like my parents. I am open about how I speak and what I talk about, and I never turn down the learning opportunity in a good debate.
While there are topics that l’d not talk about, the reason is not because I feel uncomfortable talking about it. The reason is because people can not help but tune out logic for emotions such as topics including but not limited to: abortion, religion, and rape. So the problem is not how parents raise kids, but how they behave while raising them. So, parents to some extent are guilty. As time continues there will be different opinions based on the ame topic, and as more and more college students become ask for especial consideration when professors have to discuss sensitive topics.
People will either agree or disagree with me, but what they must not forget is that if college students continue this trend of timidness then they will never be prepared for the ‘real world’. In life people will not always coddle you, and avoid talking about certain topics because you just feel uncomfortable. Parents have lived through this, yet they don’t understand that what they are teaching their kids is not the proper way to live in a cruel world.
