My Thoughts on Raising Children

I have two young children, one in preschool and one only just walking. I write quite a bit about parenting here on my blog, and have divided the main subject range of my parenting posts into three topical sections.

Positive Parenting

Positive parenting focuses on raising children to be capable, independent, compassionate adults rather than on instilling obedience and compliance. Positive parenting sees children as individuals with needs of their own and focuses on cooperation and mutual respect between the parent and child. Positive parenting rejects corporal punishment and tends to minimize punishment in general, seeking instead to encourage good behavior and foster the child’s self-determination and understanding of natural consequences.

For more, see my positive parenting page.

“To Train Up A Child”

Michael and Debi Pearl’s discipline manual, To Train Up A Child, is popular in Christian homeschool circles. The Pearls advocate spanking children with a piece of PVC piping and emphasize that parents must break their children’s wills and render their children utterly submissive. Even a bad attitude is considered disobedience in need of punishment in Pearl circles. For many families, the Pearls’ teachings become more than just a discipline method, but rather an entire lifestyle. I was raised on the Pearls, but I have come to see their methods as destructive and abusive.

For more, see my page on Michael and Debi Pearl’s child training methods. 

Parenting without God

After growing up in a Christian home and becoming an atheist as a young adult, figuring out how to raise my children without God has been a bit of a challenge. My children are still young, so this is something I’m still learning. As my children grow, I plan to share my adventures in parenting without God here on my blog. Perhaps you may find this part of my parenting journey of interest.

For more, see my page on raising children as a nonbeliever.