The Ethical Optimist

It’s a busy summer in the Higgins household with three children out of school. For parents, this translates into kids with too much free time. With that in mind, I signed my middle guy up for Camp in Delaware. Camp Arrowhead has a Christian focus, which I thought would be good for “Dennis the Menace” and help steer him in the right direction.

As someone who tries to live an ethically focused life, and run an ethically focused business, I find it still a challenge to pass my values onto my children. The little devils tend to have a mind of their own.

My middle son, at 14, is a loving soul, but he’s always been a bit of a challenge…headstrong, somewhat selfish (what teenager isn’t?), and no time at all for “god lectures.” So, off we packed him for two weeks in the wilderness to commune with nature and get a smattering of spirituality.

Imagine my surprise when I received a call from the camp after his return, that he and his two friends (who attended camp with him) had some serious charges pending. Apparently, Mo, Larry and Curley felt they were being picked on by another camper and decided to take photos of their naked butts with his camera.

Upon returning from camp, the child’s mother developed his photos and to her surprise had some interesting photos!

So much for the god squad I’d hoped for. Dennis the Menace (name has been changed to protect the less than innocent) thought the whole thing was hilarious. I, however, had another take on it. How do I make it an ethics lesson?

Well, I sat him down and explained the ramifications of his actions. I then made him call the camp and own up to his actions (after all, he had been accused, but his ass hadn’t been positively identified in a line up). Then, at his own suggestion, he asked the camp for the boy’s phone number and called him AND his mother to apologize and take ownership.

This wasn’t my suggestion, but his idea. To say I was surprised is putting it mildly.

You know, boys will be boys, but maybe this one actually has a chance to become an ethical man. One can only hope.