Quote:
Originally Posted by Beestie
The horrific mistake that Merc is making is confusing control for instruction.
Kids who are controlled like automatons never learn how to exercise good judgement. Their first day in college, they will not know how to handle all the evils available to them because they have never had to make a decision in their entire life - all their decisions were pre-empted by Stalinist-level control.
You can't teach a child how to choose good over bad if they are raised in a hermetically sealed bubble.
All that Merc is accomplishing is deferring their exploratory years to when their actions are no longer Merc's problem. Basically, a philosophy of "screw up all you want just wait till you move out to do it."
That is nothing short of an abdication of parental responsibility.
Its really not that different than not teaching your child how to drive and giving him the keys now and then and not letting them see you pray to God that they come back in once piece.
If you don't show a child some trust, then don't expect any back.
I'm with Ibram on this one.
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Woooowooo my friend... There are no statement of abdication or control for that matter, only monitoring and appropriate intervention when and if things appear to be getting out of hand.