Good Essay About Controlling Children

The main topic of the audio clip and the Marshmallow video is about controlling children. The audio clip reveals that self-control is one of the three factors that matter for success in life, the other two being I.Q. and family socio-economic status. It states further that self-control is easy to change. However, self-control is easier to develop while the child is still in his early age. Developing self-control is more difficult as the individual is older. In addition, the audio clip relates that children who have self-control at an early age are more likely to be happy and healthy when they become adults. On the other hand, those individuals who had problems with self-control when they were young are more likely to have health and addiction problems. They are also more likely to have criminal convictions. Financial planning will also be a problem with them in the future. It is therefore suggested in the audio clip that the earlier a child is taught self-control, the better for his future.
The Marshmallow video is an experiment where a pre-schooler is given one marshmallow and is instructed not to eat the marshmallow yet until the researcher returns. If the child does not eat the marshmallow, then he will be rewarded with another marshmallow. The experiment shows how the pre-schoolers try to control themselves not to eat the marshmallow. The temptation is so great for them that the others were not able to control themselves and ate the marshmallow even before the researcher returned. From this experiment, it can be seen that it is difficult for young children to practice self-control especially if there is no one watching. The younger the child, the harder it is to practice self-control.