I wish I had the answers to this one. Really. I welcome any thoughts and ideas from you. In the meantime here are my random thoughts on the subject.
Do parents "own" their children? No. Children are not slaves to be forced to do the housework or yardwork that the parent doesn't feel like doing. Children should not be subjected to counterfeit "laws" or rules anymore than adults should be. That includes such things as fashion, music, and hairstyles. If others, such as public school "officials", try to enforce nonsensical rules on your kids, I would hope you would stand behind reason and not behind "authority". (That is, IF you haven't taken the self-defensive step of removing your kids from those government indoctrination centers.)
Parents do bear a huge responsibility to protect kids and teach them how the world works so that they can grow up independent and realistic. Sometimes that means letting them see that the world isn't often fair or rational, and that the majority seems to love authoritarianism. Show them why the majority is wrong. I try to show my kids that libertarianism frees them and makes them better people. I try to show them it gives them a better way of dealing with others. I'm trying; I'm just winging it.
My belief is that all parents screw up their kids in some ways, and the best parents try to minimize that and give their kids the mental and emotional tools to overcome it.
My two older kids have grown up to be pretty libertarian. I am pretty happy with them, and I like them as people. What more can be said?
My youngest kid (pictured above), well, what can I say ... all toddlers are cuddly anarchists.
................................................
I figure if you stick to the non-aggression principle with them, you're already doing better than pretty much the entire human race (including a substantial number of "libertarians").
ReplyDelete