NO white person alive today owned slaves. Teach your kids that.
NO black person alive today was born a slave. Teach your kids that.
Not all white people owned slaves back then. Teach your kids that.
Millions of white people fought and died to end slavery. Teach your kids that.
People should not inherit guilt from their ancestors. Teach your kids that.
People should not inherit victimhood from their ancestors. Teach your kids that.
You are responsible for your own actions, not the actions of people who lived 200 years ago. Teach your kids that.
America is not perfect, but it is not uniquely evil. Teach your kids that.
The West is responsible for some of humanity's greatest advances in freedom, science, medicine, and prosperity. Teach your kids that.
Loving your country is not racism. Teach your kids that.
Wanting secure borders is not racism. Teach your kids that.
Wanting safe communities is not racism. Teach your kids that.
Wanting merit over quotas is not racism. Teach your kids that.
Questioning political narratives is not racism. Teach your kids that.
People should be judged by their character, not their skin color. Teach your kids that.
History should be taught honestly, not used as a weapon. Teach your kids that.
A nation that teaches its children to hate their heritage will not survive. Teach your kids that.
Your country is your home. Protecting it is not something to be ashamed of. Teach your kids that.
You do not owe an apology for being born. Teach your kids that.
Never let fear of being called names stop you from speaking the truth as you see it. Teach your kids that.
@elonmusk Thank you Elon for all your contributions to humanity, your biggest one being fighting to preserve Western civilization and keeping the truth 🙏🏼
The Nowak case clearly highlights that we need to stop treating racism as an ~infinite evil, not because Nowak was racist (no evidence of this) but because any time you create a social superweapon like accusations of racism are now, it’ll be misused horribly.
What is racism? Ask 10 people and you’ll get 12 opinions. Historically, it meant someone who treats people badly in interpersonal interactions because of their race. Which is just, like, kinda annoying and slightly boorish. It’s not the apocalypse. There are many personal traits that are equally or more annoying.
Now the definition has been ludicrously expanded to include a bunch of things even less objectionable than that, including belief in very plausible scientific claims and policy preferences that were near-universal for almost all of human history.
Racism just isn’t a big deal. We have to take it off its pedestal. If Nowak had said something racist, it would morally change exactly nothing about the horror of what happened to him. He didn’t, but I feel over-focusing on that distracts from the fact that it wouldn’t matter if he had.
Murder is worse than racism. Hell, shoplifting is worse than racism. Enough. Who cares.
Things a husband should be able to do:
If you can't do these, you're not a partner. You're another kid for her to manage.
Here's the list:
• Take care of bedtime solo
Bath, teeth, pajamas, story, tucked in. Without texting her 47 times asking where things are.
• Pack lunches the kids will actually eat
Not just throw random stuff in a bag. Know what they like. What they'll eat. But healthy. This is basic parenting. Better yet, teach your kids to do their own.
• Back up your wife to the kids
Even if you disagree with her decision, back her up in the moment. Handle disagreements LATER in private. Never undermine her in front of the kids. Ever.
• Provide for your family
Not just financially. Emotionally too. Be present. Be engaged. Be a leader. Money matters, but so does showing up.
• Clean without being asked
See the mess? Clean it. Don't wait for her to ask. Don't expect praise. You live here too. Act like it.
• Manage hygiene and health
Bath time. Brush teeth. Take them to doctor/dentist appointments. Know when their checkups are. Schedule them. Take care of it. Don't make her do everything.
• Know what's happening in their lives
Their teachers' names. Their friends' names. What they're learning. Be involved. Ask questions. Show up. Don't be the dad who has no idea what's going on.
• Discipline consistently
Don't be the "fun parent" who lets everything slide. Hold boundaries. Back up the rules. Be consistent. She shouldn't be the only one enforcing discipline.
• Plan date nights
Don't just say "We should go out sometime." Pick a day. Get a babysitter. Make a reservation. Plan something. She does 1000 things for your family. You can plan one date.
• Grocery shop
With a list. Without complaining. Get what's needed. She shouldn't have to manage every household task. You're capable. Act like it.
• Handle tantrums in public
Calmly, effectively and without losing your cool. She does this constantly. You can too. Step up when things get hard.
• Show affection to your wife
In front of the kids. In public. At home. Hug her. Kiss her. Hold her hand. Model what a loving marriage looks like.
• Apologize when you're wrong
To your wife. To your kids. "I was wrong. I'm sorry." Strong men own their mistakes.
• Listen without fixing
Sometimes she just needs to vent. Don't immediately try to solve everything. Just listen, be present and support her.
• Handle basic home maintenance
Fix things. Keep the house from falling apart. You don't need to be a contractor. But you should be capable of basic upkeep.
• Support HER goals and dreams
Not just expect her to support yours. What does SHE want? What are HER dreams? Marriage is a partnership. Act like it.
If you can't do these things, you're not a husband.
You're a man-child who needs a mommy, not a partner. Your wife shouldn't have to parent you AND the kids. Be the man she married.
Step up.
To parent is to commit yourself to something beyond your own immediate satisfaction, and to be constantly on call to that commitment no matter how much you’d love a night off, or even just a fifteen-minute break
@TheJerzWay 1/ This was great. Question: after 10 years in the UK, you’re apparently taxed on worldwide assets or something like that, even if you are elsewhere (unless you leave for >10 years) is there any way to unplug for that? I imagine there aren’t structures that would
An 82-year-old mother spent her final months desperately searching prison after prison for her son — begging Venezuela’s regime for answers. Instead, they hid the truth from her: he had already died in state custody. Ten days after finally learning the truth, she died too.
This is the cruelty of Delcy Rodríguez’s regime. Not politics. Not ideology. Human suffering. Families destroyed. Mothers buried by grief while the regime buries the truth.
Every hour this dictatorship remains in power costs innocent Venezuelans their freedom, their dignity, and their lives. Transition to democracy now.
Limit electronic addictions. American homes have television sets in the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, the car. If you want your child to be extraordinary, don't develop addictive screen behaviors. Those addictions make it harder later to transition your child to reading.
Children are sponges. The first thing they absorb is who you are. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, who you are shouts so loudly I can barely hear what you're saying. If parents are readers, children are much more likely to be readers.
When my children were young, my wife and I read together every evening after dinner. I read aloud to her while she was nursing. By the time the children were crawling, they were turning pages of books they couldn't read. They didn't know what was happening. It was a ritual.
Don't put your ego needs onto your kids. No pressure, no anxiety, no pushing. Maria Montessori said create a learning environment where learning happens spontaneously. Curate your home for that. Minimum screens. Cool, interesting objects. Animals if you can. Books everywhere. You read. You read with them. You read in front of them.
When you teach them, never let it be a negative experience. Be acutely aware of the emotional ambiance of your interactions. Reading time is sitting in your lap, warm, fun, secure. The more you create that environment, the more likely you are to launch your child into a pathway of success.