Brainwashing

There is a specificity that stems from one's parents. When naivete is at its greatest, maternal and paternal influence and instruction shape the initial path children follow. Not every child "rebels" in adolescence, but I believe (with my humble experience and degrees) that every adolescent questions their authority and previously accepted truths at some point along their path. At it's worst, parents and educators have the capacity to brainwash their young, which means they, "make them adopt radically different beliefs with systematic or forced pressure." This implies conditioning with persuasion and/or propaganda.
As the warm weather begins to come to a close, my outward excitement seems to flood through my children simultaneously. They shout "fall" whenever they see a tree with slightly turned leaves. Does this mean I have brainwashed them? Well if Halloween candy, pumpkin bread, nature hunts, and more time outside equates to propaganda, then maybe I have.
I was once accused, by someone I love dearly, of "brainwashing" my children to believe in God and love Jesus. As I swallowed the perceived insult, I tried to search for its meaning. Much of our current generation believes in leaving every door open to children, especially those doors that could lead to an absolute truth, which is strange because we lock our physical doors to play and explore more often today than in the past. Yet I find it troublesome that many are willing to leave faith-based doors wide open while leading their youth to follow another strict code of tolerance.
Tolerance and brainwashing might seem like antonyms, but what my accuser and friend missed was his own tactics of natural "brainwashing." If you pledge to raise a child without a set of beliefs, you must recognize you are seeking the improbable because everyone holds a belief. Children are naturally led to lie, cheat, steal, infringe, and abuse. I know that they look sweet and innocent at birth, but, trust me as a mother of four, these are innate qualities. When telling a children they need sleep and must rest, you are essentially "forcing" them to follow a belief. You believe the human body should rest. Likewise telling them they can't play with glass because it's dangerous or put small plastic objects in their mouth because they will probably choke are similar "beliefs." Then we arise at the question of facts based on science and experience versus beliefs. Before we get to a pressure-cooked tirade let's keep this picture simple because I thrive on simplicity.
In the same way that my children love to look at old pictures and hear stories about mommy and daddy's experiences and relationship, we share stories about the Bible because it's the best way to share stories about our relationship and experience with God. Now in the future, I hope that my boys question what they believe in order to follow their own path to God, not mine. Mine past is full of muddied water and sad hypocrisies that I hope they avoid. Yet we all have to share in order to guide along that confusing path. I love having doors open to questions, but I disagree that you can leave all doors open without giving answers. Please don't let your children decide to make the grocery list, budget the family finances and do what feels right. They need boundaries and "brainwashing" in order to have tolerance for one another.

As my autumn-brainwashing started years ago, my eldest son decided September in the 90s still meant we needed to get ready for Halloween!