Interesting Discussions with my Really Cool Kids

I have been trying since my kids were born to make them antagonists, and it seems to be working. Generally, I have made them question everything, and verify the rest.

For example, after I filled out school registration paperwork, kid number 1, age 11, asked to review it because she thought I would put something strange on it (which in fact I did and she caught-I had written under "special religious instructions" that she worshipped beets and mangos-but she let me send it to school anyway because we both thought it was funny).

Kid number 2 at age 7 is a very critical thinker who will stop and think about every answer and does not take a statement at face value. She often will come up with very plausible arguments as to why my answer makes no sense. Recently on the way to school we had an argument about why we needed a new traffic light at a stop sign intersection that she initiated and had compelling reasons why the city should install the light.

Today I saw true fruit: Kid number 1 challenged me to debate whether the British museum should return its stolen artifacts to the countries they were stolen from. I found her to be remarkably well informed, but more importantly she laid a trap for me in her argument, leaving an apparently easy position contrary to hers open, but to which she had a good counter-argument to. It was well presented, articulate, and most important to me, bold. She has no fear of seeking truth, and confronting arguments head on. She is also willing to concede when presented with a stronger argument. She was willing to be wrong, which is often the hardest thing for a debate participant to accept gracefully. And she was interested in a debate on this less than exciting topic, and thought I would be interested in debating it with her.

I could not be prouder.

I think they are turning out okay.