Rights…how important that single letter “s” has become in today’s world.  I grew up in the post WWII era when home, schools and churches emphasized the importance of doing what is “right.”  In today’s world, the emphasis is upon the “rights” of certain people groups.  How times have changed!

            The daily news is filled with stories about people who feel their rights have been taken away or denied to them.  Some of the complaints are too absurd to even recount them.  But it seems that what we are viewing is the real-life acting out of the old TV ad where the battery is on the man’s shoulder and he dares the viewer to “go ahead, knock it off!”  I was proud of Taylor Swift this past week when she counter-sued a DJ who tried to sue her for his job loss…to the tune of three million dollars.  She asked only a settlement of one dollar.  She knew she was right and innocent, and sought only to have the court rule in her favor.  That, in my view, was the “right” thing to do, rather than trying to make a financial gain out of a bad situation.

            My husband and I were talking about one of our students who is maturing into such a fine young man.  He came to us with a great learning disability.  Yet, over the years his parents have worked with our school staff and with him to bring about results.  Instead of demanding “rights” from the government to facilitate accommodations for this child, we all worked very hard to teach him how to work with the disability, and how to find success in spite of the disability.  No excuses were given by anyone at any time.  We just all worked very hard.  So, we did the right thing by the child. (Don’t get me wrong…I am happy that funds, facilities, etc. are available to those who want them to help with disabilities.  I just disagree with government micromanaging some of these situations to the point that a classroom teacher I know has had to insert a catheter in one of her pupils as a part of her daily teaching routine.)

            We certainly don’t give adult rights and privileges to young children.  If we did, what a different world this would become.  The best example is seen daily in our preschool.  When a child wants what another child has, he wails to the teacher, “Teacher, he won’t share!”  Thus, his interpretation of Mom’s warning to “Do what is right at school, and to share,” becomes: “It’s my right…he has to let me play with it!”  How much simpler life would be if we lived by the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” 

-  Kay