This is a Daily Moment—short perspectives on life and times through a dad’s eye.
The other night we went out to see Christmas lights.
We drove through a few neighborhoods known for having neighborly rivalries, which always leads to impressive displays.
One house had a sign in its front yard: “Tune to 89.1”
The lights on the house were flickering faster than an Ibiza nightclub.
The flashing looked random—until we tuned the radio to 89.1 FM.
Suddenly, the sporadic light show made sense. The house was dancing to the Christmas tunes playing through our car radio. It was awesome.
Much of our experience works the same way, especially early in a child’s life.
The father of modern psychology, William James, famously described a baby’s experience as “one great blooming, buzzing confusion.”
An infant is flooded with lights, sounds, movement—but without context, it’s just noise. A bit like Christmas lights dancing without music. Without a model of the world to hang experience, these perceptions have no meaning.
As parents, part of our job is to provide that context.
Sometimes it’s simple, like explaining that red means ‘stop’ and green means ‘go.’ Other times are harder, like how you explain the man sleeping on the street corner.
Your explanations provide context to their blooming, buzzing confusion. And these stories bring their world into focus.
You are tuning your kids into the radio station of life. But in life, there is no single station of truth.
And your kids trust you. So be mindful of the music you play.
| Source: – William James (1891). Principles of Psychology. |
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