4 Comments

  1. XP to FB:

    There is logic and reason… and then there is deeply entrenched emotional and cultural aspects. Since we have solid medical evidence that male & female brains structurally differentiate even before birth, I would dare even pose that evolution has bred into us differing emotional capabilities that may take thousands of years (or generations, even) to reverse.

    Men and women are structurally different… not just in plumbing, shape & size, but in thinking, feeling, and intuition. Technology may bridge those differences incredibly rapidly, but culture and genetics don’t change nearly so fast.

    I think its important to be tolerant with a slow-changing social culture… giving up habits established for literally millennia is not an easy thing, and not realistic to expect in any single generation, let alone a single relationship.

  2. Robert

    I would argue a few points…

    >>What the piece helps illustrate is that making a lot of money in America
    still mostly requires a lot of time spent working. It is therefore
    mostly incompatible with being the primary person responsible for
    raising children and running a household.

    I would say that part of this is due to a lack of foresight on the part of both younger men and women with respect to education and career choices early on. So often I see young people following an educational/life path that will severely restrict their income potential. This seems to have a domino effect in terms of earning potential. As I’ve watched my own children grow up, I’ve seen this across the spectrum of social-economic genesis. Sure, there are always the stand-outs and the exceptions. For every one of those I can point to a number of college graduates who are still looking for work. With liberty comes responsibility, even at an early age. Of course, I could comment on parents who enable such behaviors too…

    Mind you – I’m not saying don’t pursue your dream. However, if one’s dream includes having a family, then perhaps the choices one makes might need to be adjusted accordingly. I’m not even saying don’t pursue a dream that is … unlikely … but be prepared to adjust that dream soon enough that you can be an effective team of parents.

    I can say this because I raised 5 children. I was married at 22, and all our 5 kids were born within 10 years… my wife never had to work (and freely chose not to), and we lived a comfortable life over those 10 years. When you consider that I didn’t even finish college, I’m living proof that it can be done. I worked near my home, and so was always active in my children’s lives. When my wife of 16 years left us (kids and all) my career afforded me flexibility to stay at home when needed.

    Now – with my sixth child and being 48, I work from home for the most part. I do travel for work, but I take my wife (R.N. and MBA who chose to be a stay at home mom) and child with me.

    The bottom line is that Liberty requires that we work on self-reliance early on. We need parents that teach self-reliance and good choices, common sense choices, early on. Liberty is really dead without principles and ethics…. Principles of work, principles of responsibility and ethical choices in how you do things, espeically raising your kids.

    Again – let me be clear – following your dream is the embodiment of Liberty. However – if any part of that dream involves a child, then the ethics of Liberty may well inform your choices and demand they be different. Liberty is never easy, or simple, and it does not ensure perfection… but it does inform choices and generally, when those choices are made with ethical and common sense considerations, then it will lead to longer term happiness.

    Oh, I could go on and on about how Liberty is about the long term, and how short term choices without long term consideration can so destroy it…

    >>Who should handle raising the kids and taking care of the house? Simply put, it should be whoever’s opportunity cost is lowest.

    I would argue that this boils down parenting to an economic decision, which it is NOT if you have prepared yourself for the challenge of being a parent (which so many do not). In such a case, only considering economic decision vectors will lead to bad choices more often than if the whole of the decision tree is considered. Considerations to variables such as ones desire to work, one’s desire to parent full time, one’s natural emotional disposition (for example, a parent with borderline personality issues might not want to be the primary stay at home parent) all need to factor into the decision process.

    Liberty is not just about economics. While being economically stable is a pillar of maintaining ones liberty, there are a great many other facets that hold up the banner of Liberty. In my opinion, parenting alters the framework of what one peruses when one is seeking to preserve their liberty. It requires self-sacrifice, commitment to others and yet commitment to principles that are challenging and yet so very important.

  3. Paul Crider

    Yet another possibility is that more housekeeping and other forms of what has been traditionally seen as “women’s work” will be outsourced to third party specialists (nannies, cleaners, etc).

    This will be good for the economy due to the greater division of labor.

    It will be great for feminism, as women will be free (i.e., not socially discouraged) to develop their capabilities outside the home and pursue life goals of their own devising. Also, what used to be “women’s work” will now be remunerative, bringing above board a lot of hard work that was once considered free.

    • Philandering Bastard

      +1

      But seriously, none of you has pointed out the obvious?

      Sigh…

      Okay, here goes:

      MHHHHHH BAACON!!!

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