Persuasion is an interesting word. We all grew up writing argument essays at school, papers in which we had to persuade others to believe as we do. What I find interesting is when we use it to describe a set of religious or political beliefs or the people who believe that set of beliefs. He is of the Christian persuasion. We were persuaded to believe these things?? I guess so. I never thought of it this way.
From the get-go, many of us were taught to “say thank you,” “ say please,” and “say hello” before we could actually even say the words! Our parents were persuading us to be cordial. Our political and religious beliefs are influenced by our parents, and then our friends and our colleges persuade us to vary our beliefs from those our parents persuaded us to believe. I spend a lot of my day persuading kids to take their schooling more seriously or to be nicer or to listen and follow directions.
When I used to teach high school AP English Language and Composition, I used a college book entitled Everything’s an Argument.” No wonder we’re so exhausted! If everything’s an argument, we are in “persuade-mode” at all times!
So, let’s examine the “persuasion” involved in a typical teen’s day. Mom: “Get up!” Teen: “Just ten more minutes!” Regarding clothing choice: “What? It’s not dirty yet.” Or “This is appropriate!” Regarding food/drink: “I need a Red Bull, and then I’ll be good to go.” Regarding homework: “I got this. I’ll get it done.”
It doesn’t matter that we were once teens just like them, we adults know nothing. Almost every teen rages against the man… the machine.
Now that I think about it, someone is trying to persuade us everywhere we look: signs, advertisements, blogs. I’m exhausted just thinking about how much persuasion I resist a day!
As the parent of a gifted child, you get a double dose. I often tell parents at school not to negotiate with their gifted children. The parent will lose. Our kids definitely understand the art of persuasion.
So, I guess as my final act of persuasion in this piece, I will urge you to recognize that attempts at persuasion are, at their source, power battles. It is important that you are persuading your child more than he is you.
- Michelle