Who are we?

[Charlatan]

I myself am a parent, but after reading the thread on that disturbing children's book, I am not sure of a lot of things. Parents decide what thier children do, but who are we to tell them what to do? What if our neighbours are better parents? Do we know what we are 'programming' them to do? A few of you athiests would argue that a healthy jog around the block would be better than going to church on sundays, but what do we know?

If the wise men are right, and the wise assume humility, what is a parent that thinks they know best?

This means there is 'lawlessness' that needs curbing. How would we do it? How would we enforce it? What do we set as law? There needs to be a law, and letting your kids drop out of maths, or, giving your kids condoms could be bad for them, and therefore illegal! Some parents in the ghettos even send thier kids out to steal!

The only way I can find common ground is in the society we live in. What we think is good must be programmed upon us, so as to curb this lack of common ground.

Am I overreacting?

[Jack]

Am I overreacting?

I don't think so. It appears you're assessing the impact of your parenting on your kids. I wish all parents would examine their parenting skills and reflect on the potential impact their words and actions could have in the future for their kids. Too many parents act first and think later, which may not be a big a problem in their dealings with other adults but could be life-altering for a child. Raising another human being is one of the most profound and important acts a human can perform, and too many people undertake that task with little consideration for the results their parenting will produce.

[JimmyNic]

The laws regarding parenting are a tad inconsistent to say the least. It's very hard to say what is likely to be best for a child, especially since no two children will respond she same way to a parenting style. It's kind of a given that as a parent you will succeed in some areas and fail in others, although what constitutes successful parenting is very open to debate.

I think if your kid has their wits about them they will come to realise that you did the best you could with what you had, both in the way of knowledge and resources. Raising a kid is a series of judgement calls, just like any other area of your life. The only difference is that when you are raising a kid you are not the one to bear most of the consequences.

That said, some skills are timeless. The ability to think critically is probably the most important skill anybody can learn at any age, in my opinion. Likewise social skills never go amiss, particularly when it comes to fraternising with the appropriate sex. Integrity and self-respect are worthy qualities in anybody. The ability to look after one-self and dress well is often criticised as vanity and not recognised as important.

Ultimately being a good parent is about training your kid to be an adult.

[Maryjane]

The only way I can find common ground is in the society we live in. What we think is good must be programmed upon us, so as to curb this lack of common ground.

Perhaps this is the reason situation comedies were invented?