I have the pleasure of being a leader to a wonderful group of 6th-9th grade girls. I do this because I enjoy teaching, and I wanted to have some input in my daughter's scouting experience. Now, perhaps I'm expecting too much, but I'm often surprised at the things they don't know. Most recent: Where do eggs come from? Did you know if you drown in water you can die? Potatoes grow underground? I am glad they're asking the questions, because that enables me to teach them things; things that they evidently aren't learning elsewhere.
Of course, it's not just the girls. I encounter similar things from seemingly intelligent adults, and adults are more difficult. One wants to be able to share knowledge without making others feel that you're a know-it-all or that you find them stupid, ignorant, or otherwise lacking. One time during my employment at a pet shop, I had a customer who was interested in buying a large snail for his aquarium. The snails were on sale that week, and I spent a fair amount of time answering his questions about care and feeding, etc. I thought I had the sale wrapped up when the customer blew me away with his next question: "Where do I get a new shell for it when it grows out of the one it's in now?" So I explained how this actually worked, bagged him a snail and sent him on his way. I found this funny, and decided to share the laugh with my fellow employees. They didn't see the humor in it. I had to explain to them where the shells come from. Oooohhhh! they said. I asked where they thought they came from. "Well, from the ocean, like rocks." Obviously!
And then there's retail sales. "Buy one, get one free" does not mean that if you only buy one it will be half price. Those deals are priced "2 for $x". And if you buy 5 pounds of apples priced at $1.79/pound, you're going to pay almost $10. Oh, and those salad bars where you pay by the pound? Listen up people - if your salad is heavy, it's going to be expensive! Because they're priced by the pound . . . get it? Here's another thing - $4.99 is not $4, it's $5. Because we do understand that 99 cents is only a penny away from a dollar, right? I'm amazed at the number of people who are surprised to find that a five isn't enough money to pay for their $4.99 item after tax.
OK, I'm ranting, I think. But here's my point - let's all try to think a bit more. And as parents, our job is to teach our children to think. They aren't all the same, and they don't all enjoy the same things, or have the same abilities, but if we teach them to think, they will have a skill they can use anywhere for the rest of their lives.
