Yes, and that is a big oversimplification

First you have to start with the person's genetics, the preprogramming or base code that you are building on Kids don't start as a blank slate. Any parent can tell you that even little babies have distinct personalities. Then there are environmental factors... nutrition, bonding with the parents, birth order and a whole lot of other factors that come into play long before the kid ever starts school. There are also choices that they have made due to their own personal preferences. So by the time they start kindergarten they are well on the path they are going to follow. That is not to say there are not forks in the road. It's not solely a question of brain development... and really by 5, your kid knows more then your dog ever will and a lot more them people think they do. And yes, book learning is important but not as much as their emotional development. A little kid needs to feel safe in their environment to grow and explore emotionally and this can be derailed by both their parents expectations, attitudes, and fears and their peers for being critical or negative. But keep in mind that that the kid is still building upon their base code which does effect their choices. What people call innocents is more accuracy a lack experience. "support public education/schooling or else the country becomes stupid." That is not exactly true. Schooling is only one part of the learning process and certainly not the most important... abstract knowledge such as reading a book, I believe is less important then experiential knowledge. And again, they are building on top of both their genetic traits and what they have learned before...of course, by the time they are young teens they really start reality testing to see if what they have learned or have been told to believe matches that they see around them :P I could go on and on but their are way more pieces then you stated. International Boylove Day BoyWiki