Not Wrong

by Scott Noelle

Here’s an experiment you can do today: Pretend there’s no such thing as “wrong.”

If your child says or does something you don’t like, s/he is not wrong for doing it, nor are you wrong for disliking it.

Even if the behavior is dangerous or violent, your child isn’t wrong. And you aren’t wrong if you choose to stop the behavior. (Don’t try to make logical sense of this, just try it and see what happens.)

Notice how you and your child respond to each other differently when you don’t make anyone wrong.

Can you be angry at someone who isn’t wrong? And if anger itself isn’t wrong, can it be a force for good instead of violence?

When “wrong” is out of the picture, it’s easier to follow your heart’s desire. You can be real about what you want, and you can allow your child to be real, too.

Originally published on 2006-06-26
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