The novel questions the inadequacies of Atticus ’parenting skills because he treats Jem and Scout like adults. Atticus makes mistakes as a parent but capitalizes on them to teach life lessons to his children. He inspires his children to think for themselves, instills moral values, uses racial language to get his point across and believes in fair treatment of humans regardless of their beliefs. First, Atticus treats Jem and Scout like adults which is evident in his style of discipline. For example, Atticus has a mutual agreement with Scout in regards to going to school. Atticus tells Scout "No, an agreement reached by mutual concessions. It works this way," he said. "if you'll concede the necessity of going to school, we'll go on reading every night just as we …show more content…
Atticus encourages his children to look at the world through another person’s eyes by saying “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (page 30). However, it isn’t till Jem damages the camellia bushes of Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, a neighbor who scolds and insults the children. Atticus sentences them to read to her each day. Atticus knows Mrs. Dubose is racial and has a severe problem with morphine yet he still jeopardizes his kid’s well-being by making him go to read to her. As a parent, Atticus is trying to teach a lesson to his children but a hypocrite when it comes to sending his children who fits the racially motivated and uncompassionate criteria which Atticus is against. On the other hand, Atticus shows how important it is to show human compassion sending Jem and Scout to read to her. He explains "it's when you know you're licked before you begin but you see it through no matter what" (Lee 149) to help them understand the dying woman's battle against her morphine