Children
Posted by rtsmith67 10 years, 6 months ago to Philosophy
Of all the things that Ayn Rand and the Rand Institute have produced over the years, there is one thing that I believe has been seriously overlooked and something that is most essential: Guidance on how to rear children, especially girls, in the ideas of Objectivism. I would dearly love to find something, anything, to help me in Raising Dagney.
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Should you teach your daughters to think? Absolutely. Should you teach them to value themselves as more than sexual objects? PLEASE, YES. Should you teach them to look for and seek out value and to educate themselves? Affirmative. But if the price of their achievement comes at the cost of a family, I'd strongly encourage you to rethink whether you want this for their benefit or for your vicarious benefit. Neither money nor achievement can buy happiness.
Do you want to leave the legacy of a footnote in the annals of history, or a living legacy of progeny who were taught to think and shape the world? Mothers are that great force. To me, Dagney's accomplishments pale in comparison to what my wife does every day. Dagney helped build a railroad. My wife and I are building a voting base.
My wife reminds me that it's important if at all possible to keep kids out of the public schools. Even if your are not religious, some of the church schools are good. Home schooling and Montessori are good choices for some.
She says, "The public schools now offer recruitment for young girls into prostitution and drugs, or sometimes into the profession of 'government-funded unwed mother.' "
I allowed one girl, about 13, to walk one of my more difficult ponies. After ten minutes she told me, "Snorts and I are going to go over there and have a discussion." She spent about five minutes alone with Snorts, and then returned. Snorts was suddenly (and now remains) a better pony!
Heck I don't know how to retrain a pony in five minutes, but this kid does.
Any girl, any child, who asks for a horse or pony should be given riding lessons. The responsibility required is awesome. (Kids like that word.) Of course, not all kids are up to the task. One boy told me, "I know how to ride. I've seen it on television."
Additionally, girls should not be led away from mathematics. Mathematics and riding both require hands-on, do-it-yourself activity. You can't learn math by staring at your math teacher's work, or by copying someone else.
I'm also beginning to think that horsemanship ought to be a necessary qualification for anyone to run for political office. There would thus be the possibility that election would result in our getting BOTH ends of a horse.
My 4 y/o girl is pretty good about asserting control over her world. The 6 y/o boy is more likely to grudgingly give into others. If the issue is sharing his toy with his sister, I won't let him share grudgingly. If it is *his* then he needs to pick what *he* wants to do and execute it-- no grudging sharing.
We also give them money for doing things beyond the normal abilities of their age that we would otherwise pay someone else to do.
We give into their reasoning, even if the reasoning is at a child's level, just b/c we want to encourage reason over emotionalism or force.
And oh yeah... give them a copy of Atlas Shrugged while they still have that early intuition to read, and don't be afraid to answer questions you will be asked. Show your girl that being strong, independent, and resourceful ARE, indeed, feminine traits and that in so doing the paths will open up to them... not to become subservient to another, but to KNOW, FEEL, and BELIEVE in her own self worth and value!
http://www.atlassociety.org/as/objectivi...
With the progressives firmly entrenched in our school system we need to find ways of combating their negative influence.