Superchildren - Should society step in?
 

I'm sure everyone here has heard of one child that has done something incredible.
For example, sailing around the world buy themselves.
They're the youngest person to do it!
Yeah, that sort of thing.

I was talking with someone about how some, not all, of the parents only do that for their children so they can boost their ego, and when the child doesn't preform like they're suppose to, the parent punishes them by not giving them attention for the feat.
When we're little, we learn what we'll get our parents attention, and for some superchildren, they have to preform supernatural feats in order to get their parents attention.
These children can become isolated from the world, get physical injury, or even die.

Personally, I think society should step in and at least watch how the child and parents interact.
If they find that the parent is being too forceful, or if it's obvious that the child has no say in the matter, then I think that the child should be taken away, or at least be put into a better situation.

What do you think?

There is a difference between pushing your child to do well and encouraging your child to do well. If a parent is so forceful that their child make good grades by punishing them whenever they bring home a grade less then a 'B', then that is being a bit to forceful.

A few years ago there was a small boy who was labeled as the strongest boy. His father pushed him every day to be stronger and stronger. He basically worked out his whole child hood. It wasn't until his parents got a divorce that he got to be a regular boy who got to play video games instead of playing at the gym.

Sure, parents should raise their children how they see fit. Unless it gets in the way of their child actually being a child. Children shouldn't be forced to act like adults at such a young age.

If it's not child endangerment or actual abuse, there's nothing society can do about bad parenting. Sure, in an ideal world, a child would have a wonderful childhood with friends and parents who love him/her more than anything. If only the world were like that... There's no way to regulate bad parenting, and there's no way to consistently judge where parents cross the line of being too forceful.

Should society also step in and tell you what gender your child should be?

Honestly. There is too much of everyone being in everyones goddamn business. People need to back the fuck off and mind their own business. Because they have a failing marriage, their children hate them, and they are depressed while cutting their wrists for attention, does not mean they have any right being in my life because I am not meeting their standard.

This topic reminds me of People Magazine. Too many people who are going to care about other peoples lives and not enough of their own.

THIS

No, society shouldn't step in, but it's not because it has no right to. Laws that have been passed to define and prevent child abuse started with "society stepping in", and many at the time used the same arguments people in this thread have, that they should be able to raise their children as they choose and society should have no part in it. Getting into someone else's business is entirely acceptable when it involves another person, and in this case, that person is a child who cannot go against a parent's commands without risking punishment, perhaps in the form of what would amount to assault and battery were they an adult, and who will eventually be a part of that society, whether they're a functioning member or not. No man is an island, after all, and if we're going to live together, we have to keep in mind how every decision any person makes will affect everyone else.

The reason society shouldn't step in is that, in this case, it's nigh impossible to determine exactly how the children are being affected and how they feel about the whole thing. It's very difficult for an outsider to judge whether a parent is giving their child the support and push they need, or is being mentally abusive. There are a few obvious cases, but those are rare and generally have absolutely nothing to do with forcing the child to succeed. And the possible consequences of an intervention, the very least of which would be permanently destroying the relationship between a parent and her child, make it not worth it except in very extreme cases.

Did you even read the OP? The thread is about parents pushing their children to succeed, not physical abuse, and that's what I was addressing. I was quite specific, so how you misunderstood my post is beyond me.

Like others have said, there really is no way to regulate it fairly. If it is bad enough that it counts as mental abuse, then the government can step in. Also in the case of the parents ignoring their child if they don't live up to certain expectations, that could count as a form of neglect. Children do have access to CPS if they see fit.

Unfortunately, some kids don't know about cps, so some will suffer. That's life though, nothing will ever be perfect. some people are just bad parents and thats the way it is.