LET’S TALK ABOUT IT…
Is This Land Your Land?

Impulse control is difficult. It can be hard for adults, but is even trickier for young children. For as long as there have been grocery stores, there have been children unable to resist the allure of the candy display at the check out, slipping the candy bar or lollypop into their little hands and taking it right out the door. Parents distracted with moving their groceries down the conveyor belt and scrambling through wallets may not notice the theft until later, yet when they do, the parent response is consistent. “That is not yours,” and “You will have to give it back.”

We believe there is universal agreement on respecting the property and belongings of others, and this made us wonder about the local practice of land acknowledgements. We wonder if the correct response by organizations performing land acknowledgements should be to, “Give it back.”