We believe in helping kids in New Mexico by raising them up. I am always amazed at the number of conversations that I have regarding kids that start with referencing children’s lack of good judgment. I agree that there is a problem with kids and judgement, but do we ever put ourselves in their shoes? Do we consider the effects of a lifetime spent with messages discouraging them from judging? “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” used to be a warning to us that there may be more to the story and that we needed to get to know someone before we decided what their clothing or tattoos or piercings meant about the person that was adorned with these external markers. Today, kids are taught not to judge a book by its cover or its contents or the actual message of the proverbial book. As a result, many young people today are unwilling to use good judgement when choosing friends or other significant relationships in their life. Sadly, our ability to use good judgement is dictated by how often we practice. If we don’t learn to use this critical skill, it tends to disappear.
This is why we work so hard to be honest with the residents at The Ranches. We must teach them to look at the world honestly and somewhat critically so that they can start to develop good judgment.
