Talk:Guidelines for Raising Children: Respect Children’s Opinions

By Vishal Agarwal

Children might not be as learned and knowledgeable as adults but they are innocent and pure, and can sometimes offer wisdom that eludes their elders. Therefore, one must not hesitate to accept good teachings of children.

Give good advice to even one’s Guru if he asks you to do a wrong thing. And do not ignore even a little child if he teaches you about doing something good and beneficial. Śukranītisāra 3.115

Paying attention to what the children have to say gives them confidence and makes them feel valued. Constantly ignoring or suppressing the opinions of children diminishes their sense of worth.

Story: Śiśu Aṅgiras (Kavi Uśanas) teaches the Vedas to his elders

According to the Manusmṛti, even a child who is knowledgeable in scriptural learning is like a father to his own father, even though he is younger to his father. Manu narrates the story of Kavi Uśanas, who excelled in Vedic learning and taught the elders the Vedas. Once, Kavi addressed elders old enough to be his grandfathers as “children.” The elders got offended, but the Devas defended the child saying that he who is the teacher of the Vedas is like the students’ father, even though that child were their biological progeny. The Ṛṣis too declared that the greatest among them is he who is more learned, because a man becomes great not by his wealth, age, presence of white hair on his head or by virtue of being related to the powerful. Rather, he becomes great by studying the sacred scriptures.

An adult who is ignorant is indeed a child and even a child who teaches the Vedas to an adult is the father. The Ṛṣis have always addressed an ignorant adult as a “child” and a scripture-knowing child as “father.” Neither from old age nor through white hair, or even wealth or having powerful relatives does one become great. But he is like our father who is wise in sacred wisdom and practices dharm ought to be considered as great. Manusmṛti 2.153–154

A man is not therefore considered venerable because his head is gray. But him, who though young, has learned the Vedas, the Devas consider to be venerable. Manusmṛti 2.156

The story originally occurs in the Vedas

Śiśu (child) Aṅgiras was a master of the Vedas, the Divine Śāstras, at a time when the older Ṛṣis had forgotten about them. He addressed his elders as “my sons,” thereby making them annoyed. When the gods were asked to arbitrate, they ruled in favor of Aṅgiras, saying that “he indeed is the father who is learned.” Sāmaveda, Tāṇḍya Brāhmaṇa 13.3.24