Thought of the Day 04.15.08

My youngest son loves to get all the pans out from under the oven and scatter them around the kitchen floor. Although I lack the weight of a longitudinal study to back me up, I think this is a universal toddler tendency. Nonetheless, it’s annoying. The noise is awful. The pans are clean before and of dubious sanitation afterward. And it’s time-consuming to put them back away, although he usually does help. But I still let him do it. Why?

Because my mom let me do so when I was his age. I’m not sure what I’d do in the absence of her now-departed guidance, but I’ve never had to decide for myself. I figure that if this was an important form of liberty for her to give me, then I can honor her and respect her judgment by letting my son do the same. Plus, it makes me think of her every time he does it.

But this is more than just a touching family tradition. It’s the basic idea of conservatism: respecting our forbears by deferring to their judgment on things ranging from laws to pan-play. Sure, it’s possible that they were wrong, but it’s also possible that they knew better than we did. Right mom?