Best parenting advice I have ever seen:

[SamuraiCO]

Would be a great family to be neighbors with or friends of your own kids.

[stenz]

Good article.

[gnihcraes]

Now to get the daughter to pick up her room...

Let me know if you accomplish this.

[ZERO THEORY]

but 12 kids in 15.5 years?

If you had 1-3 kids to implement these strategies with, imagine the possibilities. Each child would not only get these self-sufficiency principles, but you'd actually have some time to dedicate to each individual child. I'd say the kind of distant overseer aspect is my main disagreement with the article. Those same rules with some actual interpersonal care would be phenomenal for a developing child/adolescent.

Would be a great family to be neighbors with or friends of your own kids.

I don't have any kids of my own, but I know that my nephews could certainly use some peers like this in their lives. Damn kids are already par for this generation's course; they and their buddies all huddle together to play around on tablets and XBOX.

[gnihcraes]

Holy smokes, after reading most of that list, I'm not sure how anyone could do it. I'm not sure I really believe all that stuff listed.

[HoneyBadger]

If you had 1-3 kids to implement these strategies with, imagine the possibilities. Each child would not only get these self-sufficiency principles, but you'd actually have some time to dedicate to each individual child. I'd say the kind of distant overseer aspect is my main disagreement with the article. Those same rules with some actual interpersonal care would be phenomenal for a developing child/adolescent.



I don't have any kids of my own, but I know that my nephews could certainly use some peers like this in their lives. Damn kids are already par for this generation's course; they and their buddies all huddle together to play around on tablets and XBOX.

Agreed. I think this is more practical on a smaller scale, and I could only hope that my kids can make friends like this.

[jackthewall81]

Wish my parents made me build my own car and computer!

[MarkCO]

Not a bad list, but there is a lot more to it. Love (the real meaning, not what most Americans use) encouragement and truth had to be part and parcel of their strategy to be successful as well.

I had to buy (and build) my cars, pay for my education, milk the goats, feed the chickens, butcher my deer, and I am putting my kids on the same path. Simply put, all they have really done is figure out how to put "farm life" lessons into the modern times.

[Zach O]

Some good stuff. But honestly, sounds like a shitty child hood. My little girl can play princess while her mom cleans the toilet. 3 years old? Horse shit. You only get to be a child once.

[Irving]

I'd say the kind of distant overseer aspect is my main disagreement with the article.

I was just going to comment on this, and how they completely left it out of the article. None of this is possible without intense contact and attention from the parents. My wife wanted to work out and didn't have time to make me dinner tonight, so our six year-old made me dinner. I was very seriously impressed. Here it is:



Our daughter didn't learn to make a sandwich because we forced her to cook for herself. She learned by playing "restaurant" with my wife many nights where they make dinner together. She even included the side and a drink.

As far as cleaning toilets and stuff goes, it only takes 15 minutes to clean a toilet if you do a GREAT job. A kid missing out on 15 minutes of play time is no issue.