Libertarian Parenting

June 24, 2008 · 6 comments

Would Libertarian parenting deem that if the kid doesn’t want to eat, that I should let him go hungry so he can learn his lesson?

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{ 6 comments }

1 John Esberg June 24, 2008 at 4:05 pm: I’m not sure about that one, but its a funny thought!
2 Jay June 24, 2008 at 8:51 pm: I think kids would eat eventually if the parents made punishment-free food available and waited. The only time the kid would starve is if the incentive not to change his mind about eating became greater through some act of the parents. Otherwise said kid would eventually do the natural thing and eat when he was hungry enough.

Fun to ponder… the economics of a tantrum!
3 Susan Cvach August 7, 2008 at 10:45 pm: Well, yes, but a libertarian parent wouldn’t be thinking in terms of ‘teaching a lesson’ with food. In my opinion, a libertarian parent would be making food available to hir child at all times, since it is the parents’ responsibility to help hir child have food to eat when said child is hungry. Kids generally don’t need a whole lotta advice about eating; they know when they are hungry and when they are not – at least, as long as they haven’t been messed around with, being ‘taught lessons’ and such (food coercion)

Yeah! Help kids get what they want, and help them to learn about what it is right to want. Check out http://www.takingchildrenseriously.com if you want to know more about what libertarian parents might think and do.
4 George August 8, 2008 at 8:06 am: “Teaching a lesson” was said with tongue in cheek. I don’t parent that way. But I thank you for commenting and am reading about TCS.
5 Silver Fang June 13, 2009 at 5:25 pm: What about things like media access, cell phones, etc.? Do Libertarian parents restrict what movies their kids can watch, restrict their Internet and read their kids’ text messages?
6 George Donnelly June 13, 2009 at 9:17 pm: Good question. I’m not sure. I, for one, am rather liberal with what I let my child watch on TV but I have my doubts about that.