When children are born they have no values. They have not learned what is right or what is wrong. They have no beliefs. Every experience from the day they are born is going to play a role in shaping what they believe, what they believe is right, and what they believe is the right thing to do.

Experience is a great and effective teacher for children, especially young children. What children are surrounded by is going to be their most effective teacher. Is the child comforted when he is hurt or in pain? Is the child spoken to in a pleasant voice or a harsh voice? Are the child’s needs taken care of or is the child neglected? These are conditions that are going to be very effective in teaching the child what he believes is right behavior.

If a child is surrounded by violence from birth, will he have the same beliefs about violence as a child who has never had any experience with any violent behavior?

If a child hears stories such as Aesop’s Fables over and over will his moral values be the same as a child who hears stories about the “good old days” of family members who often were arrested for breaking the law?

Is it ok to steal if you are hungry? Will the answer be the same from a child who goes days without eating anything substantial and a child who eats three good meals and several snacks every day?

Who is more willing to help others, the child whose family is involved in the needs of the community or the child whose family works and comes home, never getting involved in any community affairs?

If a child is ridiculed, talked down to, and called names by family members, does he believe that it is ok to call his classmates names that are degrading?

This list could go on and on. The point is that since a child starts life with a clean slate, his environment will have a great impact on his moral values.  Of course there are other factors that will influence the child such as his temperament, his personality type and his health, but it is inevitable that he will be influenced by his environment.

According to the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, early childhood experiences may have long term effects on a child’s behavior because they play a role in the development of the child’s brain. These experiences, whether good or bad, shape the architecture of a developing brain.

In the children’s story, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, there are two mice who are cousins. The city mouse visits the country mouse and finds his life style boring and plain. He invites his cousin to visit him in the city. The country mouse finds his cousin’s life style to be dangerous and unnecessary. They both have learned to live in their environment. Their perceptions have been shaped by their environment. It is the same with children, whether they prefer the environment or not, it does play a role in the development of their future behavior and their moral values.