tfl: The Flatiron Life

Now at this point you realize that regular reasoning isn’t going to win the day. You have to resort to the “Because I said so” fall-back, but while effective, that never seems like a clean win to me. To the kid it appears you don’t have a good reason and you’re just being an ass about it. That’s why I fantasize about the rest of the discussion going this way:

Me: Do you know who invented the roof?

Kid: No.

Me: It wasn’t a kid. In fact, nothing important has ever been invented by a kid. Do you know why that is?

This is a snippit of Scott Adam reasoning (in his mind) with a child against climbing on the roof.

I need to keep this in mind when my will cannot as easily be imposed on Jonah by simply placing him a couple yards away from the thing I don’t want him to have.

… prayer? libertarianism? soda bread? we really don’t know and wish someone would explain it to us.

Read this post to understand (mostly) what I am talking about.

I suspect other babies might be sleeping to much. Which begs the question: Would we trade a happy but sleepless Jonah for a sleepy but more ill-tempered one?

In response to Tim Janecyk’s comment, ToddlerMom asked, “If the police cannot protect the children, who will.” Well, Parenting Magazine has ranked the 50 states using some great nanny state criteria to help people like ToddlerMom.

My jaw dropped when I read this from the report,

Surprisingly, basic safety devices like booster seats and bike helmets aren’t required in most states — 31 fail to mandate one or both of them. “Having a law is essential, even if you wouldn’t dream of putting your preschooler in the car without a booster seat,” says Alan Korn, director of public policy for Safe Kids Worldwide, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C. “Not only does a law educate parents who might not be as safety-conscious as you, but it also makes it easier for you to handle protests from your kids. When my 7-year-old says he’s too big for a bike helmet, I just remind him that it’s the law. Argument over.”

I don’t think I can respond better than Radley Balko,

God forbid you teach the kid to wear a helmet because it’s the rational thing to do. Maybe teach him something about risk and responsibility. No, instead, just tell him he’s gotta’ wear a helmet because the all-knowing legislature … simply say so, and if he doesn’t do as they say, he’ll be breaking the law.

Joscelynn has written about our desire to not raise Jonah in a protective, sanitized, no-risk bubble-world.  Jonah Goldberg’s article today is about another developmnet in parenting I want to avoid, specialness.  Our children will be loved for sure.  They will also be special to us, but do they need to know it all the time?  Are they automatically special and should be appreciated in the world for their specialness?

I am sure I have a bit of inherent specialness of my peers and wrapping generations; I do blog after all with the assumption people care about what I have to say.  However I mostly know I am special today for 3 reasons: the bible tells me so (but it also tells me I am a sinner), my family loves me (but love means you tell people when they are wrong), and Orbitz pays me well for something I really like to do (but Alex and Jeremy are quick to keep me inline and make sure I don’t mess up and I often have to do thing I don’t want to do).

I am glad I was raised knowing that I messed up from time to time (mom, often?).  I am glad that I was spanked, grounded, and forced into labor when I was wrong.  I am also I played sports where there were winners and losers and we cared which we were.  I am glad I was in 4-H, where there is competition for Champion and Grand Champion and it was my to win.

This seems to be slipping away.  What are some other areas were automatic specialness is popping up?  What should we keep an eye out for while raising our special little boy?