Philosophically speaking.. Was the boy who cried "wolf" really just seeking attention? How often do children?

a boy may cry wolf

a wolf may be dressed in sheep's clothing

a child may see something we fail to notice

a boy may merely be seeking attention but then we have a grown-up somewhere who should be asking themselves whether they are being negligent in some respect

a child may not be capable of expressing his or her fear/anxiety/frustration/anger etc... in the sort of socially acceptable/palatable manner we may prefer to adopt ourselves. it is our job to help them with this.

why are we not listening? sometimes we forget how to. sometimes we are listening but we are so exhausted we become impatient too quickly, sometimes we forget we're supposed to be the adult in charge, sometimes we are less than perfect as parents... i don't know (((lorry))), being a parent is the best and the hardest job :)

edit: this question has really got me thinking... i am now thinking about how, with the best will in the world, sometimes parents may not have all of the resources at their disposal that they might need when raising a child and i'm not just talking about financial or material stuff. for instance, i wonder if you can ever truly listen or be really good at listening if you were never heard as a child yourself? in the same way that some parents seem unable to show a great deal of emotion and physical affection (this was the case with my grandfather), and then it affects the children and the way they go on to form relationships... maybe the bible is right and in some weird and twisted way the sins of the fathers are visited upon generations to come. sorry, i'll stop now.

I think, When Both the Party, Attention Seekers and the Attention Givers, Feels HAPPY in Doing So, It will Continue Until, of the Life Time.

Still My Grown up Sons are Expecting Me,to Take Care of them as I Did in their Childhood, Because, It Gives US, Happy. My Husband Expected More from Me, Than, He Did for Me, Because, I was Did with the Pleasure of the Fulfillment.

Any way, For Me, Attention Giving is the HAPPIEST MOMENTS,of Our Life, When It is SEEKING.

Yes,it can be a lie(accusing a relatively innocent-of the childish allegations-another)at times just like how it can be an honest lie and/or a product of a wild imagination at other times just like how it can be a cry out of fear or a cry for help that the child may really need or just want.It can be just a mere cry for attention,at other times that may indicate some sort of neglect on the parent/s behalf,for example.It's actually much better to listen to a child because if the parents did not then why the hell did they bother themselves and bother the child with help-teaching him/her how to talk(beyond the dada baba mama gaga gugu!)and walk independently as a growing crawling-baby?!

This is actually one of those more influential environmental factors that may have a very significant impact on the child's psychology and mentality as he/she is growing up into a more content state of a relatively higher self-confidence and self-esteem or grow down into a more hesitant and discontent state of low self-confidence and self-esteem,for-life.During which he/she may get it later but when it's too late to straighten up the now hard-wooden plant:tree,that grew crookedly and that's when it's worthless to hurt the parents back because they also did the better or the essentially better for the child's physical survival(and they may still be doing so,even if only monetarily,to the young gentleman/lady)besides the worse or the much worse or even the fatally abusively unhealthy(in a scary never-wanna-go-back past that can't be undone)...did i kind off discoursed or got distorted and driven off the point or something?lol...

So,it's a very critically and sensitive stage in one's life that may start out with a childish mouth that can be seemingly calm,shy and quite or full of(less-experienced)crap too(so listening shouldn't result in naive and immediate impulsive childish reactions:like the child is 100% pure and innocent off lying and whatever by nature!).His/Hers might start out with a childish mouth that's full of crap that might be piled-up over the parents/guardians crap or covered down below under the elders' crap...

So,listening to children(without unnecessary criticizing mockery that might make them feel too small:like they should accept the fact/myth that they are too stupid to get it because they are babies).They are smaller yes but if they grow-up feeling small then it might be much harder for them to ever feel big even if they reached the age of 100 years old.Listening is an important part of raising kids and that:feeling small for-life(or insecurely feeling extremely too big for-life..depends on the child's level sensitivity and ways of reaction)...that is just one among many other potential scenarios that would do no good to the parents/guardians/elders(or the society,culture,custom and tradition which)who stole the self-confidence and self-worth from he/she who did not even ask to be born...

One's who do not have the time for their children(who will pay the price as his and her kids)don't even deserve them,i mean the children don't even deserve them.And those who claim the will to name with no shame don't even need to bother if they only aim at the lame social pride&vain in the continuity of their family's names...

Yes; the boy crying " wolf " was just seeking attention.

People did responded to his cry, and found out that he did it for fun but the boy did not realize that the prank will bounce it back onto him.

One day the wolf did really turned up killed and ate up one of the sheep that he was looking after.

He did cried ' wolf ' , but no one turned up, as the people were really not bothered about him.

The moral of this story : " One may run away from the retribution of Heaven. But one cannot escape from the retribution of one's own misdeed. "

Children do often smile to cover-up their misdeeds !

Kids usually do not "cry wolf" and seek attention unless there is a real problem. Sometimes, they do not communicate the real problem, but anb astute adult will accept that the cry is real even if the subject of the cry is masked. The abused child is probably not going to scream that "daddy is coming into my bedroom every night and raping me." She may express it as a somatic complaint, "My tummy hurts all the time."

It is the job of healthy parent ot hear the child and not be satisfied when the doctor tells her, "there is nothing wrong with your child. She probably just wants attention."

Frankly, they should promulgate a law that removes the license from any doctor who has misdiagnosed abuse.

It isn't only abuse. It may be bullying, over-scheduling, lack of healthy attention, surrogate parenting by nannies. Kids use a mystic language they expect us to understand. They even do it with each other. Kids start relationships as teens with head nods, eye rolls and everything but direct communication.

As a psychotherapist I was trained to look for "tells' along with words that often give away a hidden agenda. Those tells include body language that beg you to read the hidden message and words that are diametrically opposed to facial and body language.

your right lorry,

this is something i hadnt thought about (this story) but ive learned that theres ALWAYS another side to the story and if someone doesnt want to see it, then thats THEIR problem, the other people have to deal with whats going on

we arent listening cos we are arrogant and assume children(or other people we see as 'childlike') are 'stupid' and dont understand , and cos we are selfish and bothering more about our OWN issues

Good point. yes, perhaps there indeed WAS a wolf in that boy's life...just not the kind we think of. Perhaps if people had looked harder...or as you say, listened better.

That is why it is important to encourage positive form of attention seeking, and try to discourage forms of attention seeking that are potentially destructive or dangerous.