Musing #1: Did the “Balloon Boy” incident reveal how easily manipulated and gullible we are? No it didn’t. Maybe it pointed to our limited knowledge base about homemade flight balloons and the amount of weight they can carry. Maybe it showed that we don’t really understand the properties of mylar. Big deal. What our national preoccupation with the fake flight really demonstrates is our deep concern about the safety of children. A threatened child, whether missing, trapped in a well, or perceived rolling uncontrollably in an air balloon, captures and holds our attention. This is not a bad thing. We care, and because we care, we are fooled sometimes. So what?

Musing #2: Why the rush to punishment? Within sixty seconds of the announcement that Falcon Heene had been found and that he was safe, a CNN anchor posed the question of how the boy should be punished. That’s right, sixty seconds. Shortly after the hoax was exposed, the conversation turned to how to punish the parents. Why is punishment our first thought? Why is punishment the initial response of so many? Do they see no other alternatives?

Musing #3: “Balloon Boy’s” father did all parents a huge service. He gave us, on a silver platter, an opportunity to talk to our children about the importance of telling the truth. He encouraged us to reread the fable, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” with our children. He gave us a great reason to dialogue with our children about ethics, character, and the importance of the choices we make in our lives.

Musing #4: Here’s a newsflash! Reality TV is not real. It is fake. If you or your children are watching reality shows, you are watching an updated version of pro-wrestling. Does anyone think for a minute that reality TV personalities are not coached? Do you think any of those shows would last if they did not titillate, offend, outrage, or annoy us? Do you think any of that happens by accident? Have you had that conversation with your children?

Musing #5: Those Heene children did a great job of “acting as if” the situation was real. Are we teaching our children to “act as if” in situations where the technique would be helpful instead of hurtful? Have we taught them to “act as if” they can write a coherent report, say “no” at an appropriate time, or be interested in algebra class?

Musing #6: Listen to your body. Your body knows. And sometimes it knows before you do. If you are vomiting on national television for no apparent reason, there is a reason. Something is not right. Your body can feel it. Your body is trying to tell you something. Listen to it.

Musing #7: Eventually, our children will have to float free like the balloon that was thought to be carrying young Falcon Heene. We can not keep our children tethered to the ground or to our breasts forever. We will have to let go at some point. In the meantime, it behooves us all to teach our children as early as possible to take care of themselves, to develop self-discipline, self-responsibility and self-motivation. We must teach them to trust their inner-authority, the only authority they take with them everywhere they go. To do that we must increasingly make ourselves dispensable so that when our children do fly, they do not roll and tumble like an escaping air balloon. Our role is to give them both roots and wings, so they can be well-grounded as they fly.

Chick Moorman