Dennis Hackethal’s Blog

My blog about philosophy, coding, and anything else that interests me.

Success! You can now read the full article below. Be sure to save it to PDF before leaving or refreshing the page!

Need help? Email me and be sure to include this reference number:

Do Children Owe Their Parents?

Published · 4-minute read · Pro article

[My mother] would declare that she never wanted to have any children, that she is taking care of us because it’s her duty, and how much she hates it. And I remember thinking indignantly from as far back as I can recall that [me and my sisters] did not choose to be born, and what is it that we are expected to do about it? That, since we could not help it, under what sort of obligation should we consider ourselves? It’s the injustice, the irrationality of that kind of accusation that I resented very much, […] it didn’t make me feel guilty, it made me feel resentful.

– Ayn Rand about her childhood

Children should not consider themselves under any sort of default obligation toward their parents. (Throughout this article, whenever I speak of ‘children’, I’m not talking about any particular age range – what I say applies as much to little children as it does to adult ones who have long moved out of their parents’ place. The latter are still their parents’ children, so I call them children in that sense.)

Children do not owe their parents anything, except, as for anyone else, that which they have agreed to owe. Such an agreement is only valid if each party understands what it means, is capable of entering it, and is not pressured or tricked into entering it. That last part is crucial because, as pointed out in one of the videos linked below, parents have a tremendous amount of emotional power over their children (including their adult children, albeit usually less so).

But wait, there’s more!

You’re reading a preview of this Pro article. Pro articles are written with exceptional care and provide additional value. Purchase the full article for only USD 0.99.

Clicking this button will load the payment form. Stripe, the payment processor, may use cookies or cookie-like technology.

Learn more
Is this secure?

Yes. Your credit-card details are handled securely and in a PCI-compliant manner using the trusted payment processor Stripe.

What about privacy?

Your privacy matters to me. For this reason, I’ve decided to provide one of Stripe’s payment forms that’s more complicated to implement but increases your privacy. When you purchase an article, I do not see your name or contact information. However, Stripe does show me your card type, expiration date, issuing financial institution, country, last four digits of your credit-card number, your postal code (if you’re in the US), IP address, internet service provider, operating system, browser, device brand, device model, your card’s average transaction amount, the standard deviation for your card, and ancillary information, including but not limited to whether your card is a debit and/or prepaid card. I will not sell that information. I can’t even associate it with you unless you send me an email that divulges your name. If that is a concern, email me from an anonymous email account. If divulging your IP address is a concern, use a VPN before purchasing an article. Stripe may show me more information about payments in the future, and I’ll have no control over that. They may also have more visibility into your data. I recommend checking their privacy policy.

What if something goes wrong?

If, say, due to technical issues, or for whatever other reason, you cannot see the full article after purchasing it, simply email me and I’ll send you a copy. Please include your reference number starting with ‘pi_…’, if you have it. That reference number is shown to you right after you make the purchase.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. If you purchased an article and didn’t like it, email me and you’ll get a full refund, no questions asked. I will need the reference number starting with ‘pi_…’ to process the refund. That reference number is shown to you right after you make the purchase. Write it down carefully – I am unable to issue refunds without this reference number.

Can I share the full article with others?

The full article is copyrighted and only for your own, personal use. As such, you may not share it with others beyond what’s previewed before purchasing it. However, you are more than welcome to share a link to this page so others can purchase the article, too.


References

This post makes 2 references to:

There are 2 references to this post in:


What people are saying

What are your thoughts?

You are responding to comment #. Clear

Preview

Markdown supported. cmd + enter to comment. Your comment will appear upon approval. You are responsible for what you write. Terms, privacy policy
This small puzzle helps protect the blog against automated spam.

Preview