Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site reed.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!prls!amdimage!amdcad!amd!pesnta!hplabs!tektronix!reed!purtell From: purtell@reed.UUCP (Lady Godiva) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: children's needs Message-ID: <1815@reed.UUCP> Date: Mon, 19-Aug-85 16:09:58 EDT Article-I.D.: reed.1815 Posted: Mon Aug 19 16:09:58 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 23-Aug-85 08:00:05 EDT References: <1761@reed.UUCP> <215@gymble.UUCP> <1780@reed.UUCP> <670@cyb-eng.UUCP> Reply-To: purtell@reed.UUCP (Lady Godiva) Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon Lines: 28 In article <670@cyb-eng.UUCP> howard@cyb-eng.UUCP (Howard Johnson) writes: > >There is a very good reason why marriage partners vow to make their >marriage permanent: children need the attention of their parents in >order to develop those traits which society acknowledges as valuable >and good. A child's happiness, self esteem, trustworthiness, etc. >depend on that attention. Both parents are responsible for providing >their children the opportunities for learning how to be "good." I disagree. It is an incredible blanket statement to say that all children *need* to have two parents in the home for happines, self esteem, and whatever other traits society says are good. I'm not saying that it's not a good thing if a child does have a stable home, but I don't agree that children who don't have this are not going to develop these same traits on their own. Sure, I think that parents are responsible, and I think that too many neglect that responsibility, through divorce and otherwise. (Not that divorce is always wrong either.) But a child's happiness, etc. does not depend on the attention of two parents. There are a lot of happy single-parent (by choice and otherwise) families out there. In fact, I don't believe that every child's happiness and self esteem depend on the attention of even one parent, (although it certainly does vary from child to child.) cheers - elizabeth g. purtell (Lady Godiva)