The entire education of children should be such as to form habits of obedience to the moral and spiritual law, with which the child can meet and master the belief in so-called physical laws, a belief which breeds disease.
If parents create in their babes a desire for incessant amusement, to be always fed, rocked, tossed, or talked to, those parents should not, in after years, complain of their children’s frivolity, which the parents themselves have occasioned.
—Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures p. 62:4–12
To train a child to honest thinking, unselfish consideration for others, intelligent reasoning, prompt recognition of and obedience to Principia is to lay the foundation of a successful happy manhood.
—Mary Kimball Morgan, Education at The Principia p. 8:28–31
One of the earliest lessons taught in infancy should be the lesson of obedience. Without obedience there can be little progress in any direction. The parent who sometimes exacts obedience and sometimes does not is committing a great wrong. The parent who, through pride, will excuse or conceal his child’s mistake, protecting him from the just penalty due that mistake, may injure his child for life. Love should be stronger than pride.
This means that from infancy, children should be taught obedience to Principia, forgetfulness of self, patience, endurance, courage in the right, self-control, and faith in God.
—Mary Kimball Morgan, Education at The Principia p. 23:2
Love does not permit a child to be disrespectful, disobedient, and willful. Love corrects. It is criminal to overlook anger, disobedience, selfishness, and kindred claims in a child because we do not like to take a firm stand and meet mortal mind on its own ground, as it sometimes becomes necessary to do.
—Mary Kimball Morgan, Education at The Principia p. 26:25–29
Principia School Acorn Program