I have been rereading Little Men by Louisa May Alcott and found this passage about Meg's son very resonating:
"He was not a perfect child, by any means, but his faults were of the better sort; and being early taught the secret of self-control, he was not left at the mercy of appetites and passions, as some poor little mortals are, and then punished for yielding to the temptations against which they have no armor."
I can't quite put into words why this meant so much to me. I guess I am comparing Sydney to some of the students I have taught over the years: Children who are every bit as good and smart and kind as Sydney can be, who just weren't given the gift of discipline and I feel, all at the same time, happy for my daughter who has a better start in life than many, sad for those who don't have parents to care for them, and guilty for occasionally punishing children in the past for "yielding to the temptations against which they have no armor" instead of helping to teach them that secret of self-control.
Sydney is so blessed to have parents who understand that teaching her reasonable self control is a true gift to her. She will benefit for life. It is so sad to see an adult who obviously never learned these lessons. And frustrating for those of us who have to deal with them!
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