The “Elf on the Shelf” tradition is, unfortunately, growing in popularity. This absurd scheme involves two practices that every family should abandon: lying to your kids; and promising either rewards or punishment for behavior. The former is disrespectful and destructive to the trust needed to build strong relationships, and the latter teaches selfishness and conditional…
Tag: trust
NSA-style Parenting
A watch that tracks your child’s every move? And just in time for the holidays! I suppose that some will view this technological advancement as a boon to concerned parents, but I can’t help but believe that there is nothing quite as dehumanizing as tracking an individual’s every move — at least until reading minds…
Being Evil vs. Doing Evil
Send him mail. “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” is an original column appearing most Mondays at Everything-Voluntary.com, by the founder and editor Skyler J. Collins. Archived columns can be found here. OVP-only RSS feed available here. Adolf Hitler murdered millions of people. So did Josef Stalin and Mao Zedong. Bill Clinton murdered thousands of Iraqi children through…
No, Virgina, There is no Santa Claus
Send him mail. “The Self Owner” is an original column appearing every Wednesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Spencer W. Morgan. Spencer is a husband and father, and has studied History and Philosophy at the University of Utah. Archived columns can be found here. OVP-only RSS feed available here. Every Holiday season, Francis Church’s famous editorial reply…
On Power Struggles
Power struggles occur all over the world. Why? I’m sure there are a thousand reasons, but it seems they all come down to one party wanting the final say over their actions while the other disagrees. This can be any two people or groups of people, children or adults. What are we doing as individuals…
On Parent-Child Relationships
It seems to me that the number one quality of a good relationship is trust. If we as parents want a good relationship with our children, it must be built through trust. Parents must trust kids to know how they feel and how they are feeling, to know what most interests them, to know how…
The Liberal Mind vs. the Conservative Mind
Send him mail. “Food for Thought” is an original column appearing every other Tuesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Norman Imberman. Norman is a retired podiatrist who loves playing piano, writing music, lawn bowling, bridge, reading, classical music, going to movies, plays, concerts and traveling. He is not a member of any social network, nor does he…
On the Hunger Games V
(Spoiler Alert!) In the end, the toppling of one tyrant meant the the rise of others. Though Katniss killed President Coin, the heretofore leader of District 13 and the rebellion, and aspiring dictator, “representative” rule will govern what’s left of Panem (North America) going forward. Suzanne Collins story seems to reveal her as a student…
It is Okay to Not Trust Your Doctor
Send her mail. “Balancing on My Toes” is an original column appearing every other Friday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Angel M. Ethell. Angel lives in the Chicagoland area with her family: sons Teen (13) and Lil G (2) along with their little sister Cassie Pie (dog), her partner Daddy G and father-in-law Grandpa G. She loves…
On Government Projects
The Obamacare website debacle is a perfect example of the sorts of inefficiencies, disasters, and boondoggles that plagues government projects again and again. Irrelevant is the good or service being produced. Government lacks the necessary incentives, knowledge, and calculation to do anything as efficiently, successfully, and worthwhile as private organizations in society. That so many…