Born with the Light of Christ

This morning over waffles Brett and I were wondering why it is exactly that it seems universal for toddlers to fling themselves on the ground when they throw a fit. Just what does that accomplish? As long as Iddo isn’t flinging herself on the tile floor (which she’s done a time or two and watching her head hit makes me sick so we stop that quick if we haven’t been able to prevent it in the first place), we tend to let her fling and she can come find us when she’s done.

Children are born with more than just a universal way to throw a tantrum though. They are born with a moral compass. A study done on babies as young as 3-months-old indicates they already know to reward good, helpful people and bad, unhelpful people are not nice. They have a conscience. They understand the basics of morality.

In other words, we are born with the Light of Christ. We are born with the ability to judge between right and wrong, an ability that is honed and developed as we grow, but which is there in embryo from the start. “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil;” (see Moroni 7:16-18).

Iddo is already learning how to use that light, or spirit, to help her in this life. I’ve watched her be real excited to see people who are nice to her and I’ve watched her give the side-eye to people who, while they aren’t mean, don’t take her wants and desires seriously (like picking her up when she has in no way indicated she wants to be). Her side-eye is definitely different from her expression when she’s just not familiar with a person yet. And I didn’t have to teach her that. I’ve reinforced it, but she already came knowing good from evil.

Children are definitely not a blank slate. No tabula rasa here. No born evil and needing to beat it out of them. Children are born good. And they are born knowing the basics of what else is good in this life too.