At the World Economic Forum in Davos, they brought out the heavy artillery to take on Amy Chua, the self-described “tiger mother” — Larry Summers, self-described “hard ass.” (No pun intended.)
The Wall Street Journal:
It took economist Larry Summers … to point out that part of the point of childhood is childhood itself. Childhood takes up a quarter of one’s life, Mr. Summers observed, and it would be nice if children enjoyed it.
The writer of the piece, James Bernard Murphy, itemizes four unique blessings of childhood:
First is the gift of moral innocence: Young children are liberated from the burdens of the knowledge of the full extent of human evil—a knowledge that casts a pall over adult life. Childhood innocence permits children to trust others fully. How wonderful to live (even briefly) with such confidence in human goodness. Childhood innocence teaches us what the world ought to be.
Second is the gift of openness to the future. We adults are hamstrung by our own plans and expectations. Children alone are free to welcome the most improbable new adventures.
Third, children are liberated from the grim economy of time. Children become so absorbed in fantasy play and projects that they lose all sense of time. For them, time is not scarce and thus cannot be wasted.
Finally, we parents are so focused on adult superiority that we forget that most of us produced our best art, asked our deepest philosophical questions, and most readily mastered new gadgets when we were mere children.
Questions for discussion:
How many of us asked the deepest philosophical questions of our lives when we were children, and shelved them once we were adults and didn’t have them time for them?
And, giving the first gift a bit of a twist, how many of us have anesthetized ourselves against the pain of seeing injustice of the world, injustice that even as children when we were well aware of?
When was the last time you were complemented for being child-like?
fn. More Larry Summers vs. Tiger Mom