[AnimalMuppet]

Because from the description, one of two things probably happened: Either the school taught a secular version of a "put the fear of God into them" lesson, and your kid came home in feeling like he literally should not have been born, or another kid talked to him with the same result. That's a really unfair message to hand a 9-year-old.

[withinboredom]

It seems like a natural conclusion:

1. Teach: humanity has done X to the environment

2. Teach: if we don’t do something Y will happen

3. Conclude: I was not alive to do X

4. Ergo: the adults in my life did X

5. Ergo: the adults in my life will continue to do X which will cause Y because I can’t affect meaningful change

I don’t automatically assume they start at step 5 at school. I’ve seen his math homework. Is that a normal way of thinking though?

To automatically assume that with my son would teach him (likely, inadvertently) that what he learns at school may not be right (which isn’t true, for the most part). Rather I want to teach him that he takes ownership of the words that come out of his mouth. That his opinions are his own and he has to defend them, and further learn what is an opinion and what is a fact.

[balfirevic]

> what he learns at school may not be right

Wait, you don't teach him that?

[withinboredom]

No, because it is obvious past a certain age or once you know enough about the world. At his age, I want him to learn, enjoy learning, and trust his teachers to answer questions. I want him to learn, more importantly, that he can misunderstand something and it isn't the other person's fault. Schools teach the basics of the world, so by definition, are always wrong; but, with just the basics, you can make it quite far in the world...