The United Nations of Katie and Jamie

“… Human instincts are of two kinds: those that conserve and unify, which we call ‘erotic’ (in the meaning Plato gives to Eros in his Symposium”…’ and second, the instincts to destroy and kill, which we assimilate as the aggressive or destructive instincts. These are, as you perceive, the well-known opposites, Love and Hate, transformed into theoretical entities; they are, perhaps, another aspect of those eternal polarities, attraction and repulsion, which fall within your province…” So wrote Freud in a letter to Einstein in 1932 (Einstein on Peace).

Einstein and Freud exchanged letters with the hope of finding solutions to war. Einstein shared his grave concerns that modern science could lead to life or death of civilization. And how far have we, civilized beings, come from that time?

I have incorporated Dr. Robert Muller’s World Core Curriculum into my children’s homeschooling program. As parents we are well aware of the bickering that goes in our households. A neurotypical kid can easily lead an autistic child down the path to meltdown. Katie’s inability to understand ambiguity often leads to Jamie tipping her “bucket” and spilling out what little reserves she has. This always ends badly. Katie begins “poke mode”… rhythmically poking Jamie until he explodes and clobbers Katie. Ahhh… meltdown begins and they are banished to their rooms so that Katie can decompress alone.

As I sip my morning coffee, I shared information with my husband regarding combative vs. peaceful solutions. These solutions differ from previous children because Katie needs daily reminders about the “rules of life”, however, once in meltdown those rules take a flying hike.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Dr. Muller devoted 40 years to the United Nations and to peaceful solutions. While reading his book, “Most of All They Taught Me Happiness”, I came across these words: “… moral qualities like love, compassion, understanding, tolerance, the philosophy of live and let live, the ability to understand the other man’s point of view, which are the key to all great religions.”

I explained the history of the United Nations to the children. I talked to them about delegates from around the world working toward peaceful solutions. We discussed Peace Treaties and agreed to incorporate these moral values into our daily lives. Not only within the family, but also in relationships throughout their lives. Hostile, combative actions never end well, so today we are writing a Peace Treaty of our own. Both children will sign and commit to peaceful solutions. Do I expect the poking to end? The “bucket tipping” to stop? Of course not. However, I know that to make a daily commitment to my children that we will work toward peace will encourage them to step away from violence and find alternate means of solving problems. This behavior needs to be established in our children, the earlier the better. Our world is in great peril and we are but a speck among billions of people in a vast, endless universe. The UN News Centre, UN Wire and One World.net are now a regular part of their curriculum.

The level of anxiety experienced over antagonistic means of problem solving just isn’t healthy for us or our children.

Katie and Jamie are now calling me to write the “Peace Treaty”

My 20-year-old Lauren, has just spent the last 10 minutes effectively “grossing-out” the kids with her humor.

Now, if only I can get her to sign…

I never forget to laugh.

© Cassie M. Ferguson, 2009, Autism Funhouse and autismfunhouse.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cassie M. Ferguson, Autism Funhouse and autismfunhouse.com, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.