Thread: Qualifications for parents

Water runs down hill. It takes energy to make it go up hill.

Originally Posted by HNSB

Lots of things in life are personal choices. Until a child is old enough and informed enough to make those choices on their own, I don't see anything wrong with a parent making those choices for them.

Is it abusive to teach a kid about hunting and fishing? That's a personal choice that not everyone subscribes to.

What about gun ownership?

The choice of whether or not to eat meat?

Is it ok for a parent to discuss their political viewpoints with a young child?

No it isn't. It's called survival. Humans being omnivorous creatures need to eat a diverse diet and some of us hunt and fish to acquire the food to feed our familys, as not all of us have the means or the need to throw money away, on what we ourselves can easily obtain.

A gun is simply a tool for a job. Not all of us need to own a Surveyors laser sighter, but you would have to agree it would be bloody handy to have. Not all of us need a gun...A bow or a fishing pole might be all that we need.

See the first answer: I have a sister who chooses to be a Vegan. She doesn't look healthy enough to me. It is far easier to obtain proteins from animal products than plant products...But if my childrens choose that lifestyle thats fine. I only ask my children to try everything I feed them. One of my girls has refused eggs and mushrooms after trying them time and again. I no longer worry about feeding her those things..Her choice, she's all of four years old.

Originally Posted by TSasser

I can agree to a point. Religion is a personal choice but every parent teaches their children their religion. Yes some parts of religion should not be pushed when teaching their religion but I cannot agree that a parent has no right to teach their child their religion. If that is considered child abuse then most of the population in the world is guilty of child abuse, and churches are accused of the same because they have programs designed specifically to teach young children the religion.

I also believe the government needs to stop interfering with a lot of things. Most countries are not communist and the more the government interferes the more communist like everything becomes.

Well we are basically in agreement then, I will say that I don't and won't teach my children about any one religion. I have for them a few books on a variety of beliefs held by others...I have many books on my own beliefs, but I also have books on Islamic beliefs, Christian beliefs, Buddism, Hinduism etc.



Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

One of my girls has refused eggs and mushrooms after trying them time and again. I no longer worry about feeding her those things..Her choice, she's all of four years old.
Mick

What if one of your kids decides they don't like school: public, private or homeschool? What are you going to do.

unfortunately that's covered by law. I have to do everything I can to ensure they get the sort of 'education' that the system wants. I could just choose to go to jail and have all my children taken away, and forcefully given a 'good' state education too, I suppose. However, the outcome is too similar to warrant that approach, I would simply home-school with the required syllybus mixed with anything I could teach them relevant to their own interests.


Mick

Originally Posted by TSasser

I live in the USA and I know what is serious and what is not. Please put an opinion about the OP instead of attacking.

Who exactly do you think I'm attacking? I'm responding to your comments.
You think disagreeing with you is attacking? I don't agree with you that religion is not serious here in the USA.

Originally Posted by TSasser

Parents also disown their children for racial issues so that is not really a good point. It happens more for racial issues than sexual IMO.

That's irrelevant. You said it has yet to mentally harm anyone and I gave you an example of how it has.

Originally Posted by TSasser

Ted Haggard was a Heterosexual that paid someone to have sex with him and used Meth (a very addicting drug). The counseling was not because of his sexual orientation from what I have read. The only link for that was that he is gay and a minister.

He was with a male prostitute.

Originally Posted by TSasser

NYCshaver, I do ask that if you have an opinion on this subject please post on your opinion and stop what is apearing as blatant attacks.

There was no attack. I just disagree with you.

Originally Posted by MickR

unfortunately that's covered by law. I have to do everything I can to ensure they get the sort of 'education' that the system wants. I could just choose to go to jail and have all my children taken away, and forcefully given a 'good' state education too, I suppose. However, the outcome is too similar to warrant that approach, I would simply home-school with the required syllybus mixed with anything I could teach them relevant to their own interests.

Mick

I need another example to press my point. What if your 4 year old at age five decides not to talk to you or your wife any longer. Doesn't want any input from either of you on anything. Just doesn't like it. He/she also decides to stay up all hours of night and just wants to eat junk food. What are you going to do? I'm not trying to be a pr^&k. I am just a bit confused on your line of thinking. Help me out.

Originally Posted by goaT

Should foster parents be allowed to teach their children not to trust black people? Or maybe that women were created by Gawd to serve man?

I love that this has been conveniently ignored in this thread. There's a good point there.

And as someone who has had a lot of involvement with people who work in the psychological community and is likely headed for that line of work, I can tell you that you're unaware of the actual info if you don't believe that parents can harm their gay children by disapproving of them for being gay or by pressuring them into other sexual identities. All the research on issues like this together has pointed to a few things:

-Trying to change people's sexuality DOES NOT WORK. That's it. And I've looked into and discussed this quite a bit. If you know anything about science and look at the "studies" (if you can even call them that) of the prominent people and organizations that argue the opposite of this, you'd roll your eyes at the shamelessly pathetic methods.
-Another finding. If anything, pushing people towards other sexual identities or condemning theirs only pushes them towards suicidal tendencies.

And no, just telling children that your religion doesn't approve of homosexuality is not a benign thing. Especially when you raise children with a heavy dose of that religion...

It would be like having a child you don't know the race of and just deciding that it would be ok for the child to house with a neo-Nazi.

[QUOTE=heirkb;689846]
I can tell you that you're either uninformed or stubborn to the point of stupidity if you don't believe ...
QUOTE]

Good points for the position you are debating from but the above quote will probably cause your cause more damage than anything you can conjure up for your defense.

Originally Posted by TSasser

I am not against Gay's or Lesbian's, but I do believe parents have the right to raise their kids in their way as long as it is not physically or mentally harmful. Being told their religion does not accept gays or lesbians will not harm anyone, IMO

Unless of course the kid is gay or lesbian.

Originally Posted by frank47

I need another example to press my point. What if your 4 year old at age five decides not to talk to you or your wife any longer. Doesn't want any input from either of you on anything. Just doesn't like it. He/she also decides to stay up all hours of night and just wants to eat junk food. What are you going to do? I'm not trying to be a pr^&k. I am just a bit confused on your line of thinking. Help me out.

I would say that sensible attitudes to parenting play a part here. If my child refused to talk to me, there would have to be a reason, and with that reason figured out it would then be a matter of coming to a compromise. Having said that, I could never imagine a girl child (I have 3 of 'em) as ever shutting up, so it might be kind of nice for a while.

Sleep for a child comes under protecting the child, in this case health (Junk food is covered here as well and the child would go hungry as we don't have any in the house ). It's not forcing any ideals on a child, it is just good sense that a well rested, properly fed child has the health and energy to go out and change the world everyday.

You have to (in my opinion) offer up choices, and then allow a child to make that choice. I allow for the scientific theory of action/reaction too. If one of my girls hurts another, there are consequences (dependant on the situation), and if one does something over and above the regular expectations of nice, she is rewarded. I try to teach my children that they have free choice, responsibilities, that to get respect they must act respectfully and use good manners and that for anything and everything there are consequences both good and bad.
I don't see any one religion as a way of preparing them for the big bad world out there, as it's like saying 'there is only one way to think, and that is this way', when that is simply not true.
I want my children to be able to think and make decisions for themselves and my way of doing that is by always trying to offer healthy choices...If my future teenage daughter turns around and tells me that she is having sex, I'm not going to be happy about it, not by a long shot, but I can at least explain the issues associated with it (if I have gotten to it too late) and provide her with options to go about it safely if she so chooses to continue. Life is all about making choices and decisions, and good ones can only be made if you look at all the foreseeable outcomes. My way of thinking is to raise children who can think and decide for themselves.

Does that help you see my way of thinking? It's a complex subject and impossible to cover all the finer points. I think you can only do the best you can and hope that everything turns out well.


Mick