“Natural inclinations are assisted and reinforced by education, but they are hardly ever altered or overcome.”
– Montaigne
I think this is very true, and very important to recognize, both for myself and in my role as a parent. We can assist and reinforce our own and our children’s natures, but we can’t work a transformation. But sometimes, I find, it’s very hard to tell whether something is a natural inclination, or not. And what if a person doesn’t seem to have much in the way of natural inclinations; is there a way to foster them?
As always, I find it fairly challenging to “Be Gretchen” and also to help my children be themselves, without being too interfering about it.
Do you ever struggle with this?
