The Politics of Childhood: Why Compliance Isn’t the Goal

Existing, being human, is political; and political persuasion begins at home.

We are all part of the collective, and we all live within the systems that harm the most vulnerable, the marginalised, and the hypermarginalised.

We're conditioned into individualism - to think of ourselves and to produce and achieve for ourselves without too much care for the impact on others.

And yet, in a classroom or at home, children are often asked as part of reprimand "How do you think that made your sister feel?" or "Make sure you share with your cousin".

All the while, the adults (at times, unknowingly and at times willingly) reinforce individualism in our children alongside inequitable measures of power.

"Do this because I said", "I'm the adult and I can behave this way due to adult privilege".

We value forward thinkers in society, who challenge and question dictatorship; and we have begun to cast out those who don't speak up against atrocities, or at least share how they feel - their views on current world events.

But how are forward thinkers created when unquestionable compliance is so highly valued in childhood?

As adults, we're often so offended, so insulted, so disgusted by children who challenge our thinking. We are uncomfortable with hearing NO from children. We blame parents and shame parents whose children can not attend school.

And ultimately, we pathologise children who challenge inequitable power dynamics.

Pathologically demand avoidant.

Oppositionally defiant.

It's not our children's responsibility to make us comfortable with that which we look away from.

We're not really asking them to comply with 'good' behaviour. We're asking them, forcing them, to be complicit with our denial. With our comfort.

Don't ask questions. Don't challenge. Don't disagree. Don't refuse.

We actively fight against dictatorship, fight for freedom for all, while we also shut down the free thinking in our children.

Micro = macro.

Prioritising our children doing chores.. can wait.

We, the adults have work to do on ourselves that will free us and our children.

A child's free thought is not personal. It's both revolutionary and evolutionary.

KF