So everybody's been talking about what horrible people babies are, and I -- oh, you haven't heard? Yeah, according to a bunch of researchers, babies apparently have no moral compass. How did they make this disconcerting and seemingly irrelevant discovery, you ask? Interesting story: Basically, they lined all the babies up and made them take turns trying on a tiny Sorting Hat and -- wouldn't you know? They all ended up in Slytherin.
Okay, not really, but honestly? The actual "scientific process" involved researchers observing babies' reactions to puppets pretending to push each other down a hill or something and sounds about as accurate as a magic hat.
Anyway, the whole thing is supposed to support the theory that human beings aren't born knowing right from wrong. And it's a good thing babies don't have size or motor skills to their advantage cause those little suckers are rotten to the core.
But you know what? I don't buy it. Not for a second. I've known lots of babies -- even had a couple of my own -- and while it's true that they are inordinately self-centered little creatures, they aren't sociopaths. For cripessake!
Babies totally show compassion and kindness and concern for others, contrary to what this study claims. If you're a mom, you know what I'm talking about: Those moments when you stub your toe or get a paper cut and cry out in pain and your baby looks at you like, Oh my god, Mommy! Mommy is hurt! Should I cry, too! MOMMY!!
I can still clearly remember the day I was pushing my 11- or 12-month-old daughter in a grocery cart when we heard another baby crying from some other part of the store. Instantly, my daughter started looking around in alarm. "Bee-bee!" Oh no! A baby is sad! Something must be done!!
I mean, who knows -- I guess it's possible that those researchers just got stuck with a group of future criminals. But I doubt it.
Do you think your baby was born bad?
Image via Hamish Darby/Flickr
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Kanye West is Gay?! 
Comments 25
What a waste of money this study was. I have 3 kids, and have been around more babies than I can coun't. And I have met 1, ONE, out of all of those kids that I swear was born an evil little troll. The rest were sweet and lovey. They didnt understand being mean on purpose, and just needed parental guidance.
I don't think babies are "born bad". I do, however, believe that aside from the innate personalities, they become how they are treated. When babies are loved and nurtured, i.e., concerned about them getting hurt and rocking them, holding them and loving them while you feed them, all the wonderful loving things we do for our babies, teach them how to care and love. Early on, when they have been shown concern for them, they show others concern. My daughter was only about 2 years old and a little one fell off her bike in front of our house. My little one ran to me and said, "Mommy, mommy, baby hurt!" She grabbed my hand and ran with me to the front window. We went outside to help the crying little one. Her mother was on her way but not up to her yet. We teach our little ones this concern. Did the doctors think frustration was anger? Babies have all the feelings we have, they just can't label them. Do they feel anger, sure! If you laugh at your baby when he/she falls, do you not think they are building anger? Hurt, anger, all of it. This is why it is so awful to watch parents who think they have no feelings. They do. They watch everything and they feel everything. Be very careful how you treat your baby!
Babies may not have morals one way or the other as they have not been taught. They don't know how to read or write either. As a parent it is our responsibility to teach them about honesty and how it isn't right to hurt someone else intentionally. To say please and thank you is important and is part of moral teaching. We have 18 years to train them on manners, appropriate behavior, about good morals, about loving other people. They need to be taught to work and to pray. They have sensitive feelings and soak up the things we can teach them. Therefore, it is very important that the parents are decent people who love their children and one another and who want to be good people. If the parents cheat and won't work, the children are likely to do the same. If the parents are good workers and want to do a good job, the kids are likely to do the same. they areally are part of us, they have the genes we do as parents and we have a great influence on them. But sometimes those genes are very prominent in how they turn out, but you can't discount the importance of environment and learniing. It is a stewardship to have children and we will be accountable for it at judgment if we did not do our part or the best we could. Yet each is individual as well.
As a mom with two boys who are 15 months apart I sometimes think I got two little demons, no really their good boys kids do things something good and bad can come from the parents life style. All you can do is raise them to be a assets to the world. When they are grown they are grown, just love them teach them right from wrong and take it one day at a time.
It was an inane study.