A recent study demonstrated that flock leaders who attempted to give their fellow pigeons incorrect information about the direction of their travel can be overruled by the collective wisdom of the group. The pigeons, the researchers discovered, somehow figured out that the leader was leading them astray, and collectively, they course corrected to the right path.
This year’s Presidential debates have brought up the question as to whether or not either of the candidates are good role models for children. In fact, specifically, I’ve been asked repeatedly what we as parents are supposed to tell our children when we see presidential candidates talking the way they do. What I say to tell our children is this: “Be as smart as a pigeon.”
Pigeons can see when their leaders are off course, and it’s equally important for us as parents to teach our children how and when to identify when other adults who are supposed to be role models and leaders are “off course” as well. I think it’s important to teach our children to question the things they are seeing and being taught.
Just because an adult does something doesn’t make it right. This lesson is more powerful than you know. As someone who has specialized in working with violent offenders and sexual predators, I have witnessed firsthand the horrors of what blindly listening to adults can do to children. The key is to teach our children to trust their guts. If something is off, it’s off, and our instinct knows that.
In fact, that’s a message we all need to be reminded of from time to time…
