Fairness is not sameness



Intuition is when we understand something instinctively. A gut reaction.

And never is it more critical than when working with children. As a parent, teacher, coach, aunt or grandparent. Because there is no manual for raising a child that does justice to the unique young person standing before you.

Now there are fabulous principles, wise strategies and typical scenarios. Many sit beside longitudinal research and common sense. We need them.

But then you look at the child in your line of sight. Their frailties, their strengths, their situation and their dreams. And instinctively we know that our intuition is critical.

Raising three sons did not provide a proven and tried system of raising boys because I raised three sons who felt things differently, made sense of life differently, reacted to challenges and opportunities so very differently.

Sometimes their unique response took my breath away but I learned early, ‘fairness is not sameness’. Fairness and justice seem foundational principles for our children but we can’t let them trap us into ignoring our intuition which all too often will save the day.


About Kelley

Kelley is a speaker, author, overseas aid worker and perpetual student. She is passionate about women and gender issues, both in the local and international context, which underpins her enthusiasm for kinwomen and its contribution to women ‘living their finest life’. In 2014 Kelley completed a Masters in International and Community Development before establishing The Foxglove Project. Foxglove is a registered charity focused on supporting international development projects that are sustainable and driven by indigenous leadership. Kelley’s paid work requires her to travel extensively to evaluate and support projects supported by Australian funds. This experience and networking enables Foxglove to partner with outstanding overseas agencies delivering real opportunities for the poor and vulnerable to lead independent self-determined lives. Kelley combines these passions with a love of family and faith. Across more than 30 years of marriage, Kelley and her husband have worked through many of the challenges of building a relationship while raising three sons. Their boys have now finished high school changing the dynamics of family life and relationships. One of her great joys is sharing parenting lessons and learning from good and bad (sometimes disastrous) experiences. She uses humour and common sense to talk about the everyday challenges facing parents in today’s context.