So far, in America, the answer has been "you can't abuse them physically, fail to provide food and clothes, or make them work" (although there's actually a lot of leeway with that last one).
Other than that, go nuts!
Teach them that UFOs are real, that democracy is evil, to resist the hand of the man, or that money doesn't matter. Or any other radicalism. You made them, they're yours.
Obviously, a stance like that won't please everyone. You're making a decision about an appreciable portion of a kid's life, and since most kids aren't going to get themselves declared emancipated minors, leaving it up to the parents may not appear to be a decision in favor of freedom. But I think it is. Until kids are old enough, they've got to be treated like someone's responsibility, and I don't want to live in a world where the weirdness of parents has no chance to hop generations.
My parents were weirdos, weird enough that, when I flunked multiple classes in 9th grade, they let me try college, where I got straight A's my first semester. At the moment I work 3 months a year from a beach in South America. Had the system not given my parents the freedom to do seemingly irrational things in my interest, I have no idea where I'd have ended up, because the system was wrong and my parents were right.
> So far, in America, the answer has been "you can't abuse them physically, fail to provide food and clothes, or make them work" (although there's actually a lot of leeway with that last one).
As far as the last one, I think the leeway extends through employing them in the family business.
> My parents were weirdos, weird enough that, when I flunked multiple classes in 9th grade, they let me try college, where I got straight A's my first semester. At the moment I work 3 months a year from a beach in South America. Had the system not given my parents the freedom to do seemingly irrational things in my interest, I have no idea where I'd have ended up, because the system was wrong and my parents were right.
Totally support you there. I would go further though and say there is room for many different right answers. I am comfortable with the Amish being exempt from mandatory education laws since Yoder v. Wisconsin. Part of the wonder of life is that there are many different possibilities many of which may be valid to some extent.
If I have kids, to what extent are they 'mine'?
That's the question here.
So far, in America, the answer has been "you can't abuse them physically, fail to provide food and clothes, or make them work" (although there's actually a lot of leeway with that last one).
Other than that, go nuts!
Teach them that UFOs are real, that democracy is evil, to resist the hand of the man, or that money doesn't matter. Or any other radicalism. You made them, they're yours.
Obviously, a stance like that won't please everyone. You're making a decision about an appreciable portion of a kid's life, and since most kids aren't going to get themselves declared emancipated minors, leaving it up to the parents may not appear to be a decision in favor of freedom. But I think it is. Until kids are old enough, they've got to be treated like someone's responsibility, and I don't want to live in a world where the weirdness of parents has no chance to hop generations.
My parents were weirdos, weird enough that, when I flunked multiple classes in 9th grade, they let me try college, where I got straight A's my first semester. At the moment I work 3 months a year from a beach in South America. Had the system not given my parents the freedom to do seemingly irrational things in my interest, I have no idea where I'd have ended up, because the system was wrong and my parents were right.