“The trouble with the idea of rights is that you can justify almost any postulate about children from the idea of ‘rights’ if you want to.”
– Sarah Fitz-Claridge
“Why not argue for Taking Children Seriously in terms of rights?”
I do mention rights in the everyday sense of the word, but indeed I do generally avoid arguing from rights. The trouble with the idea of rights is that you can justify almost any postulate about children from the idea of ‘rights’ if you want to.
“He has freedom of speech of course but I have the right to decide who says what in my house.”
“She has freedom of association, and I have every right not to give her any of my hard-earned money as long as she continues associating with that ne’er-do-well.”
“Making him do chores is involuntary servitude? What about my right to freedom from involuntary servitude? Who is earning the money around here?”
“I don’t agree that children have a right to privacy in the house I OWN. If I want to search his room and seize ‘his’ video games console or anything else in his room that I own, that is NOT unreasonable! I would not take gifts he has received from others but I do own the house including his room and almost everything in it, and I have every right to take away the games console if necessary to get him to do his homework.”
“Property rights matter. I don’t make our kids share their toys. Likewise, I own the house and buy the food, so it is within my rights to expect the kids to adhere to my rules regarding my property. As the one who owns the food, I have a right to decide what food I allow my kids to eat however much they complain, and there’s nothing wrong with using foods they want as behavioural incentives.”
“Children have a right to be confronted with knowledge.” [That was said by the then Government minister Harriet Harmon, MP, in a meeting with me and others about our objections to the Labour Government’s plan to extend the National Curriculum to home educators. She was adamantly opposed to children being free. She was saying that children have a ‘right’ to be coerced.]
See also:
- It’s your house, your income, your everything; and if the kids don’t like it…
- That something is legal does not make it right or best
- If children are people just like adults, why should we treat our children any differently from how we treat adults?
Sarah Fitz-Claridge, 2022, Taking Children Seriously FAQ: ‘Why not argue for Taking Children Seriously in terms of rights?’ https://takingchildrenseriously.com/why-not-argue-for-taking-children-seriously-in-terms-of-rights/