This device is horrible. It encourages bad parenting, it's based on outdated behaviourist theories, and it can only work by taking advantage of the ignorance and fear of the children - human beings that are smaller and know less but are no less human beings than adults.
It's acceptable that parents want a break from their children, what is not acceptable is to ignore their chosen parental role and to force them to go to bed when they are not tired. Children should not have to be bored or distressed while parents have fun.
The responsibility of parents is not only to help children grow healthily and learn. It's also to respect their autonomy as human beings by helping them do what they want with their present lives, without hurting themselves or others.
Only a prejudiced view of children as a special subgroup of humankind still allows us to think of them as subjects of the adults' arbitrary authority and schemes.
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This device is horrible. It encourages bad parenting, it's based on outdated behaviourist
theories, and it can only work by taking advantage of the ignorance and fear of the children - human beings that are smaller and know less but are no less human beings than adults.
It's acceptable that parents want a break from their children, what is not acceptable is to ignore their chosen parental role and to force them to go to bed when they are not tired. Children should not have to be bored or distressed while parents have fun.
The responsibility of parents is not only to help children grow healthily and learn. It's also to respect their autonomy as human beings by helping them do what they want with their present lives, without hurting themselves or others.
Only a prejudiced view of children as a special subgroup of humankind still allows us to think of them as subjects of the adults' arbitrary authority and schemes.