Open letter to to the WhatsApp forwards - rebellion of the "overparenting" parent

“Why I am pushing my child”

1. A child is not a mini adult. A child is not a weaker, “fragile” adult. A child is not a dumb adult. A child is a learning machine. A child is a faulty-logic-ed (classic Piaget), limited-knowlegde (they don't know that gas from gas oven kills you, heck, they don't know what “killed” really means), vulnerable (did you miss the latest rape news?) learning machine.
2. If I don't teach my child, the world will teach. It will teach her that Pakistanis & Chinese are evil, & should be killed off as whole populations. It will teach her that boys cannot wear pink. It will teach her that women are annoying beings that prevent men from enjoying their lives. It will teach her that “talking about death” is an unlucky thing, but wearing a seatbelt is stupid-elite.
3. I am not pushing her to do things that she hates. (In fact, I do not know of anything that she really hates). One must “try” something before developing a taste. An art, any art, can only be practised by discipline, & “pushing” one's own limts. I am exposing my child to books & crafts because I love reading & craft-ing (which is a word now). I don't say you are “pushing your child” when you send them to “BrainyBaby” or teach them to fold their hands upon spotting a religious building, do I?
4. Habits are learnt by – habit! As a child grows, “learning manchine-ness” decreases, it is more & more difficult to pick up new skills. It is immensly more difficult for anybody, child or adult, to break an existing habit, than to pick up a new one.
5. Good habits save time. When you know where your keys are, it saves 5 minutes of searching. If you routinely wash your socks & keep them in the same corner of the cupboard, you always have fresh socks when you need them. Time already is, & will continue to be the most valuable thing. Time saved can be utilised in making money, spending money, with one's family, practising a hobby, sleeping, or gazing at the cows in the meadow, whichever is the most valuable to us.
6. Said child is not complaining. She is unhappy why I am issuing so many instructions, but NOT unhappy about ANY of the activities that she is being pushed into.
7. I am not making her into a robot. She does not just “receive & follow instructions”. She jots down her own to-do list, & asks me for suggestions or availaibility. Sure, I do “disapprove” some of the stuff she plans, & add some others, but that, directing one's child, molding their priorities, is parenting.