It’s Not All Mary Poppins

A Conundrum for You

Here’s the situation:

Child A has created a tunnel of the blocks.

Child B attempts to push a block through said tunnel. The tunnel collapses.

Child A rebuilds the tunnel.

Child B attempts to push a block through said tunnel. The tunnel collapses.

Child A rebuilds the tunnel.

Child B attempts to — Child A objects. Child B persists. Mary intervenes.

Child B attempts to reassure Child A and Mary: “It’s okay. It was just a accident.”

Mary: You tried to push that block through before. What happened?

Child B: It fell down. But it was a accident.

Mary: And if you try to push that block through again, what will probably happen?

Child B: It will fall down, prolly. But that’s okay, because it was just a accident.

So here’s the question, ladies and gentlemen:

If you’ve done it before, and you’ll do it again, and the results will probably be the same every time, but you don’t INTEND that result – it is deliberate, or an accident?

May 29, 2006 Posted by | behavioural stuff, controversy, quirks and quirkiness | 9 Comments