Looking at him from this perspective, I saw that when he walked into the street, he really was asking a question.
‘What are the rules? How do I generalize? When is it all right to walk in the street and when isn’t it?’
[First] I told him to stay out of the street. The next day, I carried him when we crossed the street. Occasionally, when there was no traffic, I held his hand while he crossed. On isolated roads, I would even let him go across alone while I walked alongside.
As I became clear, and as he understood, he complied. He enjoyed complying. He derived a great deal of satisfaction out of mastering the road-crossing situation. We both were seeking the same goal.
from “Profound Simplicity” by Will Schutz, 1979