Early Childhood Moral Development

Morality is our ability to learn the difference between right or wrong and understand how to make the right choices. As with other facets of development, morality doesn't form independently from the previous areas we have been discussing. Children's experiences at home, the environment around them, and their physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills influence their developing sense of right vs. wrong.

Between the ages of 2 and 5, many children start to show morally-based behaviors and beliefs. For example, Tasha may see Juan take the blocks out of Tyler's hands and say, "Juan! You're gonna get in trouble!" At this point, many young children also start to show empathy-based guilt when they break the rules.

For example, if Juan from the above example sees Tyler cry because his blocks were stolen, Juan might start feeling somewhat bad that he hurt Tyler's feelings. As a younger child, however, Juan would feel badly only if he was punished for taking the blocks rather than making someone else sad.

According to Piaget, children between the ages of 5 and 10 see the world through a Heteronomous Morality. In other words, children think that authority figures such as parents and teachers have rules that young people must follow absolutely. Rules are thought of as real, unchangeable guidelines rather than evolving, negotiable, or situational. 

As they grow older, develop more abstract thinking, and become less self-focused, children become capable of forming more flexible rules and applying them selectively for the sake of shared objectives and a desire to co-operate.

Statistics has show that 75% of the youths, 65% of the children and 90% of the parents in the state lack morals or do not have the quest for it. An  uneducated society will always bring shame to the nation, and the growth of every nation begins from the home.

Writers and public opinions have taken swipe at churches for not teaching morals, but the truth is this '' The reason why we have area boys and girls is because we have area fathers and mothers''. Churches have their role to play like we all know, but the job should be done at home. 

My pastor always say and i quote him '' you can teach what you read, but you impact what you live''. Recently a story was told about teenagers in the state between the ages of 16, 14 and 13 that killed a 12 years  old boy who had refused to join their secrete cult. And to my greatest surprise, their parents were so bold in going to the police station to know the condition of their children.

The big question here is this, if you were the parents of these children, would you bother going to the police to find out or visit your child in jail? or would you regret not teaching him/her some of the things they should have learnt before getting into this big trouble?

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