Live Chat Highlight: A 4-Minute Reply to Will

Bryan Caplan

PRINT EMAIL

Adding to a High School Econom...

A Suggested Tax Calculator Too...

Home
| EconLog
| Archives
| Permanent Link and Comments

Here's my favorite part from today's WSJ Live Chat:

1:58

Allison Lichter:

On the Ideas Market blog, Will Wilkinson argues that your argument really only applies to a narrow range of people:
middle-and-upper class couples who
already have at least one child,
are on the fence about having another one,
have been overestimating the costs of an additional child, and
have the right personalities to effectively practice "serenity parenting."

Friday April 15, 2011 1:58 Allison Lichter

1:58

Allison Lichter:
Can you reply to him?

Friday April 15, 2011 1:58 Allison Lichter

1:59

bcaplan:
Sure. First thing: There are *far* more people who fall in Will's "narrow range" than the audiences Will and I usually write for.
Friday April 15, 2011 1:59 bcaplan

1:59

bcaplan:
Second: Will's understating the range. Plenty of people who *like* kids still avoid having any because they think the sacrifice is too high.
Friday April 15, 2011 1:59 bcaplan

2:00

bcaplan:
Third: The "fence" is pretty wide. I'm not showing parents how to save a few minutes a week. I'm showing them how to save hours - and enjoy the rest more.
Friday April 15, 2011 2:00 bcaplan

2:01

bcaplan:
Fourth: Since the nature-nurture evidence is very poorly publicized, I think almost everyone overestimates the cost.
Friday April 15, 2011 2:01 bcaplan

2:02

bcaplan:
Last: Serenity Parenting isn't either/or. It appeals to some people more than others, but anyone can move in a serene direction. :-)

Comments and Sharing

CATEGORIES: Family Economics
Follow Bryan Caplan on Twitter

COMMENTS (7 to date)

Latest Comment

William Bruntrager writes:

In WW's original post, he asks for evidence that parents really are "overcharging" themselves for children, and refuses to count New York Times trend pieces as evidence. Any response to this?

Posted April 15, 2011 5:41 PM

Popeye writes:

Someone as smart as Bryan surely understands that no one bases their parenting styles on what they read in books, and that the only reason to write a book like Bryan's s to signal intelligence, entertain some people, and make a little coin. Amirite?

Posted April 15, 2011 11:59 PM

Doc Merlin writes:

@Popeye:
No you are wrong. Look at the damage that Dr. Spock's book did by convincing people to change their parenting habits, which then caused many more children to die.

Posted April 16, 2011 5:20 AM

Buzzcut writes:

In a highly charged debate like this, when you are questioning folks' life choices, especially when you are challenging WOMENS' life choices, you should probably put a smiley face after every paragraph in your book.

:-)

I hope it takes the edge off!

Posted April 16, 2011 7:58 AM

Daniel Klein writes:

Bryan's book and message is of tremendous importance. When it is in paperback I will buy 20 copies as presents to friends.

Posted April 16, 2011 2:37 PM

Daniel Klein writes:

[follow up to my previous comment]

... despite its awful title.

Posted April 16, 2011 2:39 PM

Hyena writes:

I think the obvious issue is that more educated people might actually acquire more false beliefs about parenting. People who don't know about Baby's First SAT Study Guide also don't worry about it.

In general, the more something is a false cultural expectation, the less beneficial education is because you learn how to better conform to it. The people with the most false beliefs about parenting may well be the people with the fewest false beliefs about everything else.

Posted April 16, 2011 2:57 PM

Comments for this entry have been closed

Read comments

Return to top