Are we hurting our children?

Question

By letting the government dictate how they should be raised? We have so many rules now about parenting that it's hard to parent at all. People are always saying that parents should be responsible for their children but these are the same people that support rules dictating how other people's children should be raised. I myself don't have children yet and now I'm scared to have any. What if I don't agree with the laws? I could end up in trouble for doing what I feel is best for my own children.

I just wanted to say that I live in the US. My godmother is a socialworker and has to deal with these rules all the time. Vaccinations are a good example of this. You can have family services called on you if you prefer your kid not to have certain vaccinations. A diaper rash is enough to get family services involved in your life for literally weeks. I here more and more kids saying that their parents won't tell them anything because they are afraid the kids will make up a report on them. The injuries that I used to receive as a kid playing sports is enough to have the police called when taken to the hospital. It's easy to say that if you did nothing wrong then you shouldn't worry but we all know that's not true. As our media shows, anything can be turned into something horrible given enough time.

Answer 1

What a great question!
In a way, yes, we are ruining our children. The laws you speak of began as a way to protect children from abuse. These laws are good. They are important....they were the first type of legislation that recognized the "rights" of children to exist in a harm free environment. But, as with all laws, they are open to broad interpretation. What was once intended to safeguard has become perverted. Parents are now powerless to raise their children with any type of discipline. Children can actually report parents...and I have known some who did!
I have four children, and three grandchildren. I am apprehensive for my children in the raising of their children.

Answer 2

You could have given some examples of what you meant by the government "dictating" how children are raised.

It would be nice if all parents put more time and effort into raising their children. As you can see, there are a lot of screwed up people in the world, and part of that is due to some screwed up parents.

How do you think racism is spread? It's a mental disease and it's most often handed down by the parents.

A lot of parents cop out of teaching their kids enough about sex, claiming something or other about "morals." The point is, their not doing their JOB. If they did their job, the schools wouldn't have to get involved.

At present, the US teen pregnancy rate is the highest in the world, and in the Netherlands - where they take sex education more seriously - their teen pregnancy rate is 1/9 that of ours. They put the emphasis on the pregnancy - not the sex. Teens there have access to contraception. The US has a lot to learn in this area, and politicians are hiding from the truth.

Children deserve the best we can give them, and too often, they're just not getting it.

In 1950 the average vocabulary of a child entering first grade was 4000 words. By 1990 this figure had dropped to 1000 words. Why? Because children are not read to and do not have very much quality interaction with their parents. Plus they do not pick up new words at play with their peers. And it is hard for two tired, working parents or a single parent to do much with their children at the end of the day.

Answer 3

Why do people have kids? This is a crucial question that must be answered. Define parent is another thing you must do. I have always seen people's longing to breed as an instincual impulse. Afterall, we didn't dominate the globe through celebacy or monogomy. So why would a male want to have kids? Why would he want to have dozens of kids with dozens of women? Imagine if you had over a hundred children from several mothers. When you were in your older years, you would look around and see everyone near you reflects part of you. Posthumously, they will remember you, perhaps even make myths and legends about you. At any rate, your genes are preserved, having children is an immortalizing event. Everyone is constantly escaping their own mortality, the more kids you have, the more afraid you are.
Now think, if I have more kids, I have more control over the future. We all compete for a share over the future like some sort of human stock market. Through this view point, it is very clear why someone would want to place boundaries on your ability to control the future.
Goverments were created to protect people. According to Hobbes, the strong take advantage of the weak, so humans made an organized system to make sure everyone was safe. Nevertheless, everyone is also greedy. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely," he said, and this is very true.
Now, when government places restrictions on parenting, it does so to "protect" them. I read of a case where a couple had a child who needed a kidney transplant, so they had another kid to act as the doner. Would you want to come into the world like that? This an extreme, but things like that happen all the time. As long as you're not crazy or violent, you can do what you want. As far as being responsible, your children will make up a part of the future. If you want it to be a good future, you will make sure your children grow into shares in the human stock market.
If you don't believe in certain laws, the only thing you can do is vote, petition, and assemble in groups of likeminded individuals. That's what a democracy is. when a democracy is apathetic like the USA, things go to ****, and you end up "being ruled by rats," as Plato put it (I think it was Plato). If you are in the minority here, you pretty much have no chance. Polygamists are a perfect example of this. As long as you're not in some deviant subculture that people fear, you will be fine.

Answer 4

Yes I think we are. There is no discipline for children anymore. When I was a kid and I got out of line, I was spanked, at home and in public. Not beaten. Do that today and most likely the parent will be going to jail or at least reported to an agency.

What would have happened on the plane if the 3 year old 's parents had forcibly place her in the seat and buckled in her in?
We all know that you cannot reason with a 3 year old-its just not
possible.

They would have been most likely facing charges for child abuse and some sort of federal airline charge as well.

Answer 5

First of all, try not to put too many boundaries on your child's mind. If you want them to be intelligent and creative and kind, teach those values to them when they are young. Read to them, take them to see things, be nice to them.
Most kids' children contend with their laws and their kids turn out fine. I'm sure you won't run into trouble if you or the government don't do anything crazy. You probably will not, but the government... lets just say that one day we might be edging along between the brink of a cliff and a maze of red lasers.

Answer 6

You are right society is ruining our children and it don't matter what you do when raising a child, cause if that child doesn't get the right answer, you going to be the bad guy any way until thay want something, then you are the best person in the world, until next time. Sometimes you just got to let them learn for themselves and pray for the best

Answer 7

I'm from Canada and here the government does get involved when you doing something that will harm your child. If you are a responsible loving parent that doesn't abuse your child you have nothing to worry about. The system is there to protect the ones that can't protect themselves. I do think that sometimes it goes a little to far at times but if it's saving just one child from a bad situation then I'm all for it.

Answer 8

Its easier to have a child than it is to get a driver's licence. There's not THAT many rules about parenting - What exactly is it that you want to do? Just how is the government limiting your ability to be a parent?

From what I see there are a vast number of parents out there who need a lot more counsel on how they parent and the law does a pretty good job of balancing the needs of the child with society's need of civil liberties.

Answer 9

Well I don't know where you are from, but my government didn't tell me how to raise my children. I got their vaccines (for their health) and I sent them to school (for their own enrichment). Otherwise, it was just me and my husband trying to figure it out as we went along and tried not to make the same mistakes as our parents did. I guess I just don't see what point your trying to get across.

Answer 10

and now for just a nano-amount of "conspiracy theory" to liven things up. cultures have a life of their own and, sadly, psychopaths who "own them"---the super rich, the churches, the military-industrial complex, etc. thus, there are agendas to insure that things go the way they choose. obviously, school systems will teach what they approve, and history will reflect their approved views. all designed to keep them in power and the "peasants" under control. this is an ancient story by now. for a bit of interesting thought in this area see http://www.montalk.net ;-)