Kids Have Been Kids Have Been Kids

Thinking back to a previous class discussion, we talked about the idea that "people have been people have been people". We talked about how human nature has never really changed. Reading the next few chapters, I smiled when I read many cases that made me realize "kids have been kids have been kids". 

            Scout’s first day of school is a great example of kids being kids. The majority of children, who have never gone to school, anxiously wait for the day they can go to school with the other children. Scout says she “longed to join them”(Lee 20) and she would watch her brother play with his peers “sharing their misfortunes and minor victories”(20) during games. Younger siblings also always seem to want to be like their older siblings. For example, my two younger sisters cannot wait to come to high school just like me. What they do not realize is the amount of work, stress, and all of the other adjectives teenagers use when it comes to school. Just like my sisters, Scout only saw the fun Jem had in school until she went there for herself.

            Jem also reminded me of the typical older sibling who wants nothing to do with his little sister during school. Until his father, Atticus, gave him a bribe, Jem did not even want to walk Scout to her classroom. He also made sure to tell his little sister not to bother him during school. In many movies, books, and television shows I’ve watched this exchange between siblings many times. For example, in the ABC family show, The Middle, the older brother, Axl, is guilty of this with both his younger siblings, Sue and Brick. The oldest child, Axl, does not want to be associated with the younger children because they are young and “dorky”.  Jem shows this same behavior when he tells Scout “not to bother him…not to approach him with requests…to embarrass him…or tag along behind him” (Lee 20). For some reason, older siblings have always had this urge to be independent from their siblings.

            After Scout’s very hard first day, she told her father that she did not feel well and she “didn’t think (she’d) go to school anymore if it was alright with him”(39). This reminded me of my siblings, my friends, and myself. Almost everyone has told a parent or guardian they were sick in hopes of getting out of school.  All kids do it, especially if they’ve had a bad day. As soon as Atticus mentioned medicine (which is not known for its great taste) Scout suddenly dropped her act and began telling him why she does not like school. She even tried having a debate with her father, as many kids do, about not needing school.  Her father handled it as any father would and explained the reasons she must go. This case is played out in many other stories as well, probably because it is so relatable and has been done since the beginning of schooling.