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Recommended: reflections on behavioral change

An undisciplined child can lead to many surprising changes in their future. Behaviours are generally caused by the person’s surrounding environment or habits. “The Charmer” is a short story about the narrator, Winnifred, who describes about her life as a child and a parent. Zachary is the oldest child in the family, along with three younger sisters and his parents. Since Zachary is the oldest child in the family, his parents usually take care of the other 3 sisters instead of caring about the things that Zachary does. Zachary is the typical adolescent that likes to go out and care less about things that happens at home. His childhood was not the best, which led to many things that should have been changed as he was maturing to an adult. Zachary’s behaviour as an adult was caused due to his behaviours as a child. In the short story “The Charmer” by Budge Wilson, Zachary’s behaviour was caused by his irresponsibility at home, selfishness, and his manipulative personality. Ultimately, this shows the importance of attempting to discipline children in their childhood for better behaviours when they grow older. Zachary’s irresponsibility caused him to display poor behaviour as an adult because he did not care about anything at home. Zachary’s irresponsibility is demonstrated when he leaves without cleaning up after his mess with crumbs. Zachary’s laziness was revealed to the readers when Winnifred says, “Then the three of us would wash up the old baking dishes and the new baking dishes and his plate and fork and glass. And sweep up his crumbs” (Wilson, 103). It revealed Zachary’s laziness reveals his character as he thinks he can get anything he wants and thinking that people will always work for him. Similarly, Zachary’s irresponsi... ... middle of paper ... ... he can learned from. Having a self-centred personality was a big cause of his adult behaviour because he did not listen to his parents most of the time and took important things away from the household when their family needed it the most during the times of difficulty. Zachary was indeed a charmer with his words. He could work with words and persuade many of his family members with ease. However, this type of behaviour is not a good behaviour for a child growing up because the child can end up thinking they can get anything they want by persuasion. “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” (Brainyquotes.com, 1) Works Cited Rohn, Jim. "Discipline Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. Wilson, Budge. "The Charmer." Viewpoints 11. Canada: Prentice Hall, 2001. 101-108. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.

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