Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
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Notes -
Criticism, here. As a parent of two boys and a great admirer of many of those who post here, I feel compelled to try and ward you off the baser suggestions here involving unethical behavior designed to fast-track your kids. Unless you want to teach them by example that ethics/morality are simply tools to be either used for a purpose or discarded if they create an obstacle or moment of tedium.
I teach, as it happens, and I'm more and more aware of a need to generally guard my online identity so I won't go into detail, but when I catch students cheating one of my first thoughts is: Who raised you to do this? And I am not (quite) naive enough to think adults don't also cheat, in school, at work, in sports, wherever. A lot. And I am always disappointed.
Maybe, as someone here has written, it's true that all of university is "signaling." To me that seems a pretty juvenile take. And even if it's true, so what? There is, or I think there should be, such a thing as personal integrity, and that's something that can only be modelled, not taught.
My sobs (sons, that's a typo I will leave) are still young, preteen and new teen. The difficult, rebellious years are still ahead of us. And technology is no great friend to the conscientious parent. So I suppose they're works in progress and I don't even have the usual personal examples to offer up as evidence. And if you believe Pinker, peers seem to have more influence on kids' character-molding than parents' anyway.
Which leads to my ine bit if advice: Be aware of peer groups. And I don't mean that you ought rate them by social class or networking potential in later life when Becka is starting ballet lessons or applying to Vassar. Or whether they're of the right socioeconomic caliber. My own best friend of nearly 50 years came feom rough family, started in the military right out of high school, became a cop, and is now a welder, firmly situated in the working class. But he has raised a family, owns two homes, and is of such solid moral character and loyalty as a friend that I would die with him and for him if it came to it (or at least this is my conviction, who knows how I would react if we did, in fact, have to face the dragon together). And I suppose I can thank my parents for not chasing him off as an undesirable when we were kids. Maybe they saw something in him. Or maybe I got lucky.
There's no conclusion to this. I typed it with my phone with difficulty. Another voice, anyway.
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