Her: "I think that we are raised differently because of how we view things. Maybe we're different because Ukrainians aren't used to having as much money."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Her: "Ukrainian children are treated strictly; our parents won't let us touch things in the house because they're afraid we'll break them. Like vases or some furniture or picture frames or valuable things. Americans give their kids more freedom."
Me: "Why do you think we're so different?"
Her: "Well, I remember one American family that came here one time. They were letting their son play on one of the pews in the church, and the child broke the pew. The parents just said, 'Don't do that. We're sorry...he's always breaking things.' I think that Americans aren't as worried about their kids breaking things because they don't have to worry about the money. I think that they often don't think things are as precious as we do. They might not see a big deal in have to pay to repair a pew, but it costs us a lot."
I agreed that many people don't discipline their children as they should, but I did tell her that my parents were very much on top of that with my sister and me. However, I had to acknowledge to myself that often American children aren't taught to value things as precious. Most of us are so used to instant gratification and our independence that we don't think to value fully the blessings that we have or to regard boundaries.
Many thanks to the parents out there who take care to teach their children respect for property and to value the blessings in their lives. I often feel that I have to defend my country to people here, based on misperceptions that folks gain from movies. This time, though, I couldn't do anything. It IS true that we often don't value things as precious. I'm going to make a conscious effort to be more intentional about valuing things in my daily life.
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