Posted on February 25, 2010
The Objectivist Guide to Parenting
Let’s suppose you’re a good Randian, an objectivist, live your life in the cause of reason–and you end up with kids? Atlas Shrugged provides no guidance, at least not until your children are old enough to change the world with their entrepreneurial spirit.
What you need, obviously, is an Objectivist Guide to Parenting, right? Trouble is, there’s no such thing. But there might soon be. At least that was the discussion happening a row in front of me at an event I attended today.
(And, yes, I’m aware that passing along overheard conversations can be kind of uncool, but this was a great one, I won’t mention names or affiliations, and, besides, they were speaking relatively loudly in an auditorium. So, for any proceeding uncouthness, I can ask only that you forgive me.)
Back to the Randian tots: The discussion was about the glaring omission of a guide, the unstated desire of objectivists parents everywhere, and what the book might include. My first thought was “horrors unending,” but I imagine the discussants were more sympathetic to the moral teachings of Ayn than I. Anyway, among the suggestions was that strict property rights be assigned in every item in the house. That Optimus Prime action figure belongs to Billy, while the jar of mayonnaise is clearly mom’s.
So far, so good. You see, the problem with non-objectivists is that they so often indoctrinate their children into the dogma of sharing. This is irrational. A good objectivist kid doesn’t share, he barters. He exchanges. He trades.
And this is exactly what the guide would demand, these two Randians seemed to agree. If Billy wants mayo on his ham sandwich, he needs to be willing to give mom that Optimus Prime. Or some such thing. And if Jenny wants to use Billy’s crayons, she must trade him two of her colored pencils.
To me–a classical liberal but not objectivist parent–the idea of a free market and property rights in the accoutrements of the home sounds not rational but exhausting. But it must work, because it is the system one of the speakers practices. (I can only imagine how endearing this must be for his children’s school teachers.)
Still, I welcome the eventual emergence of the Objectivist Guide to Parenting. It sounds like a thrilling read.
