Scientology Parent Video Blog #2 – Allowing Children to Contribute in the Family
For my second video post, I wanted to take up something that I’ve felt is important to me as a parent, and that’s allowing the contribution of children in the family. I’ve written about this probably more times than any other subject on this blog (like here and here and here and here), and it’s something I feel pretty strongly about.
You can see the above for my thoughts on the matter, though I’d heavily recommend the following, which are much better than my own thoughts – the writings that actually comprise where I got the idea from.
A Child’s Right to Contribute by L. Ron Hubbard is likely the best article you’re going to read on this. A pertinent quote:
Parents, naturally, contribute more to a child than the child contributes back. As soon as the child sees this he becomes unhappy. He seeks to raise his contribution level; failing, he gets angry at the contributing source. He begins to detest his parents. They try to override this revolt by contributing more. The child revolts more. It is a baddwindling spiral because the end of it is that the child will go into apathy.
You must let the child contribute to you. You can’t order him to contribute. You can’t command him to mow the grass and then think that is contribution. He has to figure out what his contribution is and then give it. If he hasn’t selected it, it isn’t his, but only more control.
– L. Ron Hubbard
The full article above is part of the free Scientology On-Line Course on Children.
The other source I’d read/watch on this is The Problems of Work – this book discusses work and exchange in much more detail, and gives you a lot of the background for the article above. It’s available here for purchase, or here as a DVD, or you can just walk into any local Church of Scientology and read it.