The philosophical parent : asking the hard questions about having and raising children

"Becoming parents draws us into philosophical quandaries before our children have even been born. Why do most of us want to have children? Should we make new people, despite life's travails and our crowded world? Is adoptive parenthood just the same as biological parenthood? Once children arrive, the questions start to be a mix of the profound and the practical. Should we share our lifestyle with our children, no matter how unusual? Should we vaccinate and may we circumcise? Should we encourage gender differences? Tracing the arc of parenthood from the earliest days to the college years and beyond, Jean Kazez explores 18 questions for philosophical parents, applying the tools of philosophy and drawing on personal experience. The Philosophical Parent offers a novel account of the parent-child relationship and uses it to tackle a variety of parenting puzzles, but more than that, Kazez celebrates both having children and philosophical reflection. Her book provides a challenging but cheerful companion for thoughtful parents and parents-to-be." -- Publisher's description Cover 1 Half-Title 2 The Philosophical Parent 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Introduction 10 1. Children Come from Us: What’s so special about having kids? 14 2. Life Is Good: Are babies lucky to be born or just the opposite? 28 3. Quantity Control: Must we care about population statistics? 44 4. Quality Control: Should we mess with nature? 60 5. In the Beginning: What’s going on in there? 80 6. A Child Is Born: Is labor pain simply awful? 98 7. Whose Child Is This? Why do biological parents have prerogatives? 112 8. Nobody’s Child: Does biology really matter? 130 9. Parenthood’s Aim: What’s a parent for? 146 10. First Decisions: To cut or not to cut? 164 11. Still Life with Child: Who’s going to care for the baby? 184 12. Boys and Girls: Is it okay to prefer a girl or a boy? Should parents reinforce gender? 200 13. The One and the Many: When must I contribute to group efforts? 222 14. Lies, Lies, Lies: Should we ever lie to our children ... or for them? 244 15. Passing on Religion: Should we raise children in our own image? 258 16. Letting Go: What should we do for our grown children? 272 17. Going Home: What should our grown children do for us? 282 18. Parenthood and Meaning: Does parenthood make us better off? 290 Acknowledgments 306 Annotated Bibliography 308 Index 328 Content: Cover Half-Title The Philosophical Parent Copyright Dedication Contents Introduction 1. Children Come from Us: What's so special about having kids? 2. Life Is Good: Are babies lucky to be born or just the opposite? 3. Quantity Control: Must we care about population statistics? 4. Quality Control: Should we mess with nature? 5. In the Beginning: What's going on in there? 6. A Child Is Born: Is labor pain simply awful? 7. Whose Child Is This? Why do biological parents have prerogatives? 8. Nobody's Child: Does biology really matter? 9. Parenthood's Aim: What's a parent for? 10. First Decisions: To cut or not to cut?11. Still Life with Child: Who's going to care for the baby? 12. Boys and Girls: Is it okay to prefer a girl or a boy? Should parents reinforce gender? 13. The One and the Many: When must I contribute to group efforts? 14. Lies, Lies, Lies: Should we ever lie to our children ... or for them? 15. Passing on Religion: Should we raise children in our own image? 16. Letting Go: What should we do for our grown children? 17. Going Home: What should our grown children do for us? 18. Parenthood and Meaning: Does parenthood make us better off? Becoming parents draws us into philosophical quandaries before our children have even been born. Why do most of us want to have children? Should we make new people, despite life's travails and our crowded world? Is adoptive parenthood just the same as biological parenthood? Once children arrive, the questions start to be a mix of the profound and the practical. Should we share our lifestyle with our children, no matter how unusual? Should we vaccinate and may we circumcise? Should we encourage gender differences?Tracing the arc of parenthood from the earliest days to the college years and beyond, Jean Kazez explores 18 questions for philosophical parents, applying the tools of philosophy and drawing on personal experience. The Philosophical Parent offers a novel account of the parent-child relationship and uses it to tackle a variety of parenting puzzles, but more than that, Kazez celebrates both having children and philosophical reflection. Her book provides a challenging but cheerful companion for thoughtful parents and parents-to-be. Becoming parents draws us into philosophical quandaries before our children have even been born. Why do most of us want to have children? Should we make new people, despite life's travails and our crowded world? Is adoptive parenthood just the same as biological parenthood? Once children arrive, the questions start to be a mix of the profound and the practical. Should we share our lifestyle with our children, no matter how unusual? Should we vaccinate and may we circumcise? Should we encourage gender differences? Tracing the arc of parenthood from the earliest days to the college years and beyond, Jean Kazez explores 18 questions for philosophical parents, applying the tools of philosophy and drawing on personal experience. __The Philosophical Parent__ offers a novel account of the parent-child relationship and uses it to tackle a variety of parenting puzzles, but more than that, Kazez celebrates both having children and philosophical reflection. Her book provides a challenging but cheerful companion for thoughtful parents and parents-to-be. The Philosophical Parent is a companion for parents and parents-to-be that explores the many philosophical questions that come with making and raising children. Jean Kazez explores eighteen perplexities, from the practical to the profound, arguing for a novel view of the parent-child relationship, with implications at every stage of parenthood