Can you be a responsible parent and never teach morality?

[Jzero]

but surely this isn't why we work 40-80 hour weeks in very stressful jobs with debt and bills? I think that most people live far beyond what is necessary to survive, house, car computers etc. We teach kids these values, knowing for sure, that it will make them happy, but will it?

Well here's the thing....not all of us are workaholics, not all of us are living beyond our means, not all of us are consumer whores, not all of us were taught to be workaholic overspending consumer whores from our parents and not all of us will teach our children to be workaholic overspending consumer whores.

Just because "most people", or what you perceive to be "most people" is doing something does not mean you have to go along with it or teach your children to go along with it!

 

[vi edit]

So a strong work ethic and education would provide you with an advantage over others? What kind of advantage? wealth? power? knowledge? are those things necessarily tied to happiness? Is it impossible to be happy without a good work ethic and an education? I don't know how important those things are to me.

There's a whole lot of things that aren't important to me either but that doesn't mean I won't encourage my kids to discover/enjoy them on their own. As far as work ethic and education...it's one thing to be an apathetic parent and not care about that stuff and thus pass it on to your kids through (in)action. There's millions of them in this country that live that way every day.

It's something else entirely to actively decide not to encourage those values in your children. Actually wanting your kids to be dumb and lazy is simply a level of insanity I cannot fathom.

 

[Garet Jax]

I don't think I can teach what I don't believe, and yet it seems that what counts as a good parent is one that teaches morality, values, codes of behavior etc.

It's not that I don't practice these "virtues", but I only do so to maintain a minimum level of participation in society.

To me it's like a religion, one that I have to participate in but don't believe in.

You are going to realize your mistake too late to undo it. The first 10 or so years of a child's life are the most important. Unlike many things in life, there is no do-over with raising kids.

I feel very sad for your children. It is akin to an alcoholic teaching their children to drink alcohol to deal with their issues. Or an anorexic teaching their children ....

You get the idea.

 

[Born2bwire]

How old are you?

Meh, I'm just going to write off the OP as a sociopath. Thanks Wikipedia!

 

[Mursilis]

Meh, I'm just going to write off the OP as a sociopath. Thanks Wikipedia!

No, it's too soon to be that harsh. I'm going to go with "young and still dumb as a box of rocks" until his sociopath credentials are more established.

 

[Matthiasa]

Sure just teach them what the laws are and let them decide what to do with it.