Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard

When I was a child the view of adults was that children should be seen and not heard. Later, as a parent I advocated the opposite. Unfortunately, the non-punitive and progressive views of education were made into a cause for liberals and children became a means by which all views of child raising were attacked.

It was necessary to give children human rights and educate them without the threat of punishment. I still hold that view, but I am afraid contemporary parents have abdicated their place and we must now lobby for parent's rights.

After all, children are here at the pleasure of their parents. It would now seem to be the reverse. Not only that, but modern children's rights activisits have a great stake in influencing the demonization of controling parents and celebrating permissive parents.

The child rules the field of adult life now and parents are regressing to the servant class. There were benefits to society in the reforms of the later part of the 20th century, but in the intervening years technology and mass popular culture has usurped the tradional role of parents and family life. And even worse is the acquiesence of the parents to the plethora of diversions offered to the child.

I do not doubt that the transformation of all cultures depends on how families function. It is too soon to categorcially say that permissiveness, narcissim, and self-indulgence will cause the collapse of the family, but the evidence of the negative consequences are in the words themselves. It might be nice for a time to have children seen and not heard. Did I say that?