To Bring up = To pay attention!

     The upbringing of children, in the first years of their lives, is normally led to the indication, from educators, to social models already accepted which children should learn.

     This is completely in opposition from the first aim for upbringing, self explanatory from the etymology of the word:

Educare  (To bring up) = Ex Ducere.  It means the action of leading somebody from inside to the outside, therefore the identification of the individual qualities and bringing them out.

The opposite of “educare” is

Indurre (To induce) = In Ducere.  It means an action from outside to inside, hence the act to conform something to somebody.

The result is that “upbringing” is a simple “act of induction”.

The upbringing, calls for spending time on observation and identification of individual peculiar qualities and encouraging on their development; while induction is more immediate and corresponds only to “Do it, with no reply”.

On aspect of the induction is the “expectation” of parents on children’s results. In fact, the child should match with an ideal model, a way of being a parent, or the child must excel on every competition (the basic for bullism!).

In simple terms, children have been taught to act in their lives as they are characters of a drama which are not themselves. All these actions require a lot of efforts and consumption of vital resources. (Being your self doesn’t ask for any effort or use of extra vital resources!)

My daughter Alessia, one day, coming out from School asked me: “Daddy, why don’t you tell me off when I have a low mark at school? My friend’s dads always reproach them when they have low marks and they shout to them”. I replied: “I’m happy to see that you are ok and that you enjoy studying without pain and following your attitude, I will happy to help if you ask me”.

Please think to the psycho- physic stress given to children from the age of 6-7 years: 7 or 8 hours of lessons and study every day, to add to recreational activities like gym, swimming, dancing, etc. On the top of this, parents stress children for their expectations.  This is likely to be “Legalized exploitation of minors”.

With regards to my daughter, if one day she will ask to don’t go to school because she is tired and she would prefer to sleep, I will be happy to please her.

My experience as a GP taught that where the induction is forced, discomfort and illness may start, usually illness hits the pulmonary system (air, space, freedom, oppression!) or the digestive system [submission (diarrhea),  refusal (vomit) or also the ear (obligations, duties, offence, sneering)].


Traduzione a cura della D.ssa Ing. Amy Longo.