What Philosophy Can Teach Us About Parenting

In his autobiography Confessions , the North African theologian and philosopher Augustine of Hippo looks back at his early childhood. He recalls the time when he stole an enormous quantity of pears, not because he was hungry but for the pleasure of doing something forbidden. Even earlier, he remembers cheating in games because of a desire to win, and throwing tantrums because the caretakers would not pander to his whims. For anyone who remembers their childhood, these behaviors may sound familiar. Children can cheat, destroy, throw tantrums. What might sound less familiar or even provocative to us today is the recognition that toddlers’ emotions can justifiably be described in moral terms. The thought that a child’s behavior can be bad—mean, greedy, selfish—is often taboo. And this m