Does parenthood cause nannyism?
Or rather does it lead to the end of libertarianism? Eric, who has been on a roll lately, writes:
I’m sure I’m just being paranoid, but it seems to me that once you have a kid, you lose independence in a major way, and I do not refer to the loss of time spent taking care of the kid or earning the extra money it takes to raise a kid. I mean that suddenly, you’re supposed to be worried about what the other kids and their parents are doing, what the damned school is doing or not doing. Whether your kid is going to be drugged with Ritalin because he can’t sit still and pay attention to a moronic (and bored) teacher who can’t spell, add, subtract or teach, but who instead wants to yell at your kid about “gun violence,” tell him his country was founded by bigots who slaughtered and enslaved the world, and make him take classes in things like “anger management.”
As a new father, I do worry about the day Junior comes home and tells me her teacher said something stupid, political, offensive, or just plain wrong. I don’t worry that I’ll suddenly become an anti-gun extremist but I’ll be even more cautious about my firearms, household cleaners, tools, cooking utensils, electrical outlets, five gallon buckets, bathtubs, and the other miscellany around my house that could do her harm.
December 8th, 2004 at 1:28 pm
We live in TN, so its more likely that our kids are going to be taught that this is a Christian nation, that slaves were well treated, and that Demmocrat == traitor 🙂
Seriously, though, all you can do is amke sure your involved in their education, and make sure you do your best to teach them how to think.
December 8th, 2004 at 1:42 pm
On the plus side, as a new father I found that baby wipes aren’t just for babies… I’ve discovered a whole new world of freshness. :p
December 8th, 2004 at 1:52 pm
Just living in a densely populated neighborhood that’s filled with other people’s kids causes nannyism.
My wife and are planning on starting a family next year, but we’re already acutely aware that we believe in community standards of public behavior and community enforcement of that behavior. There are things that kids should and should not do in public, and I applaud any adult who is willing to make those standards clear even when the child’s own parents are apparently oblivious.
I guess all things in moderation. A little nannyism can be a good thing. The trick is knowing when you or the state or the corporation has gone too far. Accountability must be balanced with authority. My parents were really good at that. They would give us enough rope to hang ourselves and then give us a little less rope until we demonstrated we were capable of handling the additional authority.
It’s too bad that public office and corporate management positions in this country have more authority than accountability. When that happens, empowerment becomes entitlement, and that’s not good.
December 8th, 2004 at 4:16 pm
also you must make sure the automatic windows in cars will not acdientlly get pushed and crush a childs head.
December 8th, 2004 at 5:36 pm
The only comforting thought I’ve had about the subject since the post is that if total moral relativism is the new rule, and nothing is more true than anything else, then that applies to the gibberish they’re spouting, and all their brainwashing may be equally invalidated and disregarded. (i.e. if one takes them at their word, they’re just as full of crap as all the dead white males they condemn.) Thanks for the link!
December 9th, 2004 at 1:21 pm
To Eric, I would say that indeed, you do lose some of your independence if you entrust the state to educate your children. The easiest way to avoid all of this nonsense – homeschool.