A mother dashed hurriedly into the nursery when she heard her five-year-old son howling. Much to her relief, she learned that his outburst resulted because his baby sister had been pulling his hair. "Never mind, darling," she comforted, "your little sister doesn’t know it hurts you when she pulls your hair." Within moments, the mother rushed back into the nursery, this time to check on the screaming baby girl. "What’s the matter with baby sister?" she anxiously asked the little boy. "Nothing much," he calmly replied, "except now she knows." Not all learning experiences are pleasant.

Some time ago, seven members of the pastor’s confirmation class, grades 6-9, listened attentively as I concluded the six-week study. Confident that the broad sweep of Christian essentials had been thoroughly c…