In chapter 4 of On Becoming Preschool Wise, Ezzo and Bucknam warn "against creating the false impression in the mind of a child that she is able to do anything, say anything, and go anywhere without parents guidance or approval." Such a child "is a child who has been granted too many freedoms of self-governance too early." When children are given too many choices or given too much freedom to make decisions, it can lead to a problem referred to as wise in their own eyes. "Children who are wise in their own eyes will tend to go places they should not go and say things they should not say."
The three most common ways children become wise in their own eyes during the preschool years are: (1) parents grant too many decision-making freedoms; (2) parents grant too many physical freedoms; and (3) parents grant too many verbal freedoms.
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