Ask HN: What “things” would you like your children to learn? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What “things” would you like your children to learn?

5 pointsglaberficken6 comments

At 37 with 2 young children, I'm starting to realize there are some facts (and non facts) about the ways the world and nature and people work that I would hope my children come to understand one day.

This led me to want to put together a list of such "things" I would like them to learn, but I want to avoid the natural bias to validate my own sense of self (the instinct to want my kids to be like me thus validating my own worth).

The question is phrased - "would like my children to learn", as opposed to - "want to teach my children", if you understand what I mean?

I realize that by choosing HN for this I'm already biasing the list...

...but I wanted the list to be about facts as in "Life the Universe and Everything", rather than "Psico-Socio-Economic" internet advice like - "Top 10 Things to teach your kids"

...so I think HN is a good fit.

What are some things you wish your children will learn as they grow up?

How to swim: Growing up in Australia, a country that is surrounded by ocean naturally means a lot of time spent at the beach. Learning at any early age how to swim without any flotation devices, while fully clothed and how to get out of a rip enabled me to have a lot of fun at the beach/pools without causing my parents anxiety.

How ride a bike: I was fortunate enough to have my parents teach me how to ride (without training wheels) at the age of 2. From around the age of 8, I was able to explore the city with friends and organise our own activities without having to rely on parents to drive us to and from each other's houses.

A second (or third) language: I'm not fluent in any languages other than English, but I've seen how many opportunities/experiences can come from being able to communicate with someone with a different culture. Ideally I'd like for my children to learn a second language alongside English (There's a huge benefit to learning a second language at a young age compared to one that is 'translated' from one's mother tongue).

Learn to recognize common fallacies and misconceptions. Especially our own tendency to "embark" in them.

Anything in this list is a good place to start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies

Try to understand the scale of the Observable Universe.

Question what else is there beyond that? Realize that if the Universe is proven to be expanding, what is observable now is less that what was observable in the past and more than will be observable in the future.

That there are always multiple points of view on any subject and that you should understand them before you make up your mind about that subject (and then be open to changing your mind about it at any point in time).

That pure facts are extremely hard to prove, even through the scientific method. Understand the limits of science. Be a skeptic by default.

How to think analytically, how to act compassionately, and how to balance the two.

Though that seems a lot to ask for in the first 18 years.

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