Do children have liberties?

[slant]

Children give up liberties to enter into private/public institutions, they also give up liberties to live in there parents house.

You are implying that children have liberties.

If children have such liberties is a violation of their liberties to force these conditions upon them that prohibit their liberties; School in the United States, public schooling, is required for all individuals at least until 16, which is when certain states allow the discontinuance of children attending school.

A child is required to live with their legal parent/guardian until they are an adult, which is eighteen.

By stating that children have liberties but the liberties are taken away when they either go to public schooling or live in their parents house, both of the two things which are required, you are stating that,

while children have liberties, they do not have liberties in these circumstances (they are taken away), and they have no choice in the matter that these liberties are taken away.

Is this not, a clear violation, of the concept of liberties?

 

[Stu]

Ideally, liberties are ceded by parents as the child matures.

Children struggle from infancy to individualize themselves from the parents. If they are successful they enter young adulthood with strong, well developed, independent personalities.

I for one left home at eighteen, moved to another region, got a job, shared apartments, demonstrated that the wisdom they guilted into me kept me out of trouble.

 

[Barnabas]

You are implying that children have liberties.

If children have such liberties is a violation of their liberties to force these conditions upon them that prohibit their liberties; School in the United States, public schooling, is required for all individuals at least until 16, which is when certain states allow the discontinuance of children attending school.

A child is required to live with their legal parent/guardian until they are an adult, which is eighteen.

By stating that children have liberties but the liberties are taken away when they either go to public schooling or live in their parents house, both of the two things which are required, you are stating that,

while children have liberties, they do not have liberties in these circumstances (they are taken away), and they have no choice in the matter that these liberties are taken away.

Is this not, a clear violation, of the concept of liberties?

If the child can prove themselves mature and capable then they neither have to go to school or live under their parents

 

[slant]

If the child can prove themselves mature and capable then they neither have to go to school or live under their parents

Under what U.S. law?

 

[Barnabas]

I don't know of a law but I know that children can be emancipated from their parents before a judge if they can prove that they are meeting their own need or if their parents aren't meeting their needs. Google it if you don't believe me.

 

[Nixie]

Liberties are not rights per se. So if your parents decide that you attend a school with uniforms, you wear uniforms.

I am more concerned with the idea that we "try" children as adults. We either have to redefine what an adult is or accept that children should not face adult penalties. In the purest sense it is a fundamental breach of American ideals. Children do not have the right to vote, they cannot and do not have a voice in the people who are making the laws that affect their lives yet are being sentenced and tried as adults with laws created by the democratic process that they are unable to engage in.

 

[~jet]

I'd say yes and no; Children are not yet developed enough to be completely free to do their own thing... guidance, limitations, etc, are necessary. HOWEVER, without some freedom (of expression, movement, experimentation, etc) they'll also have said development stifled.

The thing I've noticed in interactions with the child mind vs. the adult mind (note, I make no age distinction) is that of personal responsibility. Is the person in question still in a 'me me me, where's mine?' mode? Then they are a child, even if they are 50. Or, are they taking care of what needs to be done and giving a little bit of themselves back, and seeing to their own needs more often than not? Well, then I'd say they are an adult, even if they are 15. I personally would use these things to gauge whether or not an individual under my care is capable of handling complete freedom.