What Is Authority

4 Pages 877 Words

One day my seven year old sister asked me what authority meant. The reason behind her question was her bad behavior at school the previous day. She in return received a caution slip and had to “sit by the wall” during recess. This is her schools form of punishment when someone is behaving badly. My mother had tried to explain to her what authority meant. Of course she did not succeed. Seven year old children do not comprehend what their parents are trying to say when they are being punished. At least not my sister. Breaking down the meaning of a word for a seven year-old is more difficult than what many people think it is.
I took it upon myself to attempt defining the word authority. Now the “Webster’s Dictionary” defines authority as, “group or person with power; an expert.” Obviously a seven year-old would not fully grasp that concept, unless they are a genius. I then looked in a dictionary for children. In that dictionary it defined authority as, “1. The power or right to make decisions, command, act, or control. The captain has authority over the sailors on the ship. 2. A person or group having this power or right. We reported the car accident to the authorities. 3. A good source of information or facts. That professor is an authority on the life of Abraham Lincoln.” The children’s dictionary gave me an idea on how to explain the word to her.
“Teachers, policemen, parents, relatives, babysitters, etc. all have authority over you,” I told her. I further explained these concepts by placing her in situations where they had authority over her. I figured she would understand it better this way.
I started with her experience at school the previous day. She was talking during class and interrupting the teacher’s lesson. She was asked more than once to quit talking. She was even placed in a different seat in which the teacher thought would suit her better. But she continuously talke...