I read an article today that I thought was interesting and it relates to our discussion on bullies. According to a study by a Canadian based program called Roots of Empathy, if you introduce a baby to an elementary school classroom, it will increase kindness and empathy and decrease bullying. This program sets up regular visits in which a mother brings her baby to the school and the children interact with him. The idea is that instead of punishing bullies, the schools hope to inspire acts of kindness among the students. The kids also learn how to understand and respond to the baby's behaviors and emotions. This may sound a little far fetched, but the results have shown that introducing a baby to the classroom has brought on kindness and understanding even in the most difficult of children. Now, I'm not so sure I'm ready to believe that babies are the cure for bullying, but it's definitely an interesting theory.
http://www.parentdish.com/2010/11/12/could-babies-serve-as-a-cure-for-bullies/
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Wow! What a neat idea! I can remember when my first boy, that is now 19, was introduced to his brother, now 17. Empathy was apparent.They still have a bond today,that comes out during rough times that we as a family experience, or if one of them are down. I also have a daughter that is now 13. When she was born, both of my boys were curious, but my oldest, then 6, reacted much differently. He was very patient and directed my middle boy. I personally find that babies have an abundance of energy that literally can be absorbed into the sole. When I hold a baby,afterward I feel much more aware and grateful.
ReplyDeleteI found this interesting and, like you said, a little far fetched. I'm not sure if I completely believe if this works but it would be really interesting to see how this works with a larger sample.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I question this study is because I'm not a mother and I don't have younger siblings. Other than holding a baby I haven't really interacted with baby's much. I think someone that has children might have more bias toward this study. For instance, When a baby is brought into the classroom the teacher might feel happier. Like Barbara said, she feels more aware and grateful after holding a child. It could be possible the teacher feels happier so she has a more positive outlook on her students.
The other reason I question this study is because I think you can get the same results from bringing a puppy into the classroom.
I agree, I can see kids being kind when a baby is around because thats what we are conditioned to do. Mom's and Dad's all emphasize on the importance of being nice to the baby or be gentle or be quiet, so of course kids are going to be good when the infant is around. I can maybe see it decreasing the chance for an only child not to be a bully because at home that only child does not have other peer interaction. So it could teach them to be kind and learn how to share, other than that I do not see how it could influence them all not to be bully's later on.
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