to think children should be randomly reallocated at birth?

[AnotherEffingOrangeRevel]

I think this would solve a lot of problems.

For instance, I have a tendency to experience anxiety. My DC therefore both inherit my anxiety genes and also learn from my anxious behaviours (even if I try to minimise this) - a double whammy. If they had been reallocated to someone else, and I had been allocated someone else's biological DC (perhaps with a genetic tendency to feel angry, say; something I suffer less often), this might potentially all get ironed out.

OK, so there are some potential problems with the scheme. But AIBU to think it might have its advantages?

Interesting. Kind of want to read this book...

Very surprised anyone opened this and thought the OP could be serious...

There are all sorts of attachment problems even when a baby is placed from birth. Often these didn't show until much later in life.

Some people are just posting knee-jerk responses without thinking things through. To get around the "seizing babies from their mothers arms issue" we would just have to have IVF as the only means of conception, with compulsory use of both sperm and egg donation.

Compared to the overall costs associated with children, the extra cost-per-child of IVF would be insignificant. (Bear in mind it would work a lot more often than it does at the moment, as eggs would mostly come from proven donors in their early twenties, not a biological mother with eggs twice that age who may have failed at unassisted conception precisely because her eggs aren't the best.)

For people who ignored the rules about using assisted conception, confiscation and redistribution of their children could remain an option. No need to sympathize with people who think that rules don't apply to them.

Hmm. Interesting idea. I'm not sure it would be widely popular though. Big humans can get weirdly possessive over their little squawking ones.

I've put so much work into learning to deal well with my own mental health, it'd be a pity for me NOT to be able to pass on what I've learned to my kids if they have the same tendencies.

Anyway mine is the cutest baby I've ever seen, I'm keeping him!

They tried this in Australia with the aboriginal children....

No way jose! Why would I want someone elses child with most probably inferior genetic make up??

cats - You can't be selfish in this. You have to act for the greater good.

what have you been smoking

This thread has taken a bizarre turn.

Just for a moment taking your proposal seriously but not personally, the Medieval (and possibly earlier?) Irish had a complicated foster system in their society. Think Godparents who actually raise the children, from toddlerhood to mid-teens - or adulthood as it was then, while the biological parents were occasional visitors.
I wonder if this had any effect on the sort of things you're talking about, it would be fascinating to know.

On a slightly more personal note, when my daughter was little and I wouldn't let her do what she wanted she got mad at me she'd tell me "you're the wrong Mommy for me" so maybe she had the same idea as you.
It turns out that I was the right Mommy for her, but I have to admit that even I had my doubts at moments.

Surely we would breed the possessiveness out within a couple of generations?

Your great great granddaughter would probably think keeping her own was totally yucky.

I'd say those posters who think they don't have any problems are actually potentially the ones with the most problems stored up for the future because they almost certainly do have problems but they don't know about them so aren't dealing with them...

by which reasoning OP, your DCs are in the best place because you are self aware enough to know you have problems and wise enough to address them.

YABU to randomly reallocate but YANBU to reallocate based on a more scientific basis.

Excellent! grin
Please show me these problem free people you all seem to know!

I'm quite happy to put my hand up and say that, yes I'm relatively issue free compared to abusers and drug addicts and people who haven'y got a clue what parenting actually means. Not perfect, but not too bad either. I'm also happy to use my grown up and also relatively ok children as proof, if that helps.

No idea why I posted as this is obviously a wind up.

Lol, I think the OP is a LOT less bonkers than some of the replies.

I have 4 matching kids, they all have the same eye and hair colour and are clearly biological sibling which I like. Having random kids would ruin the aesthetics of the household. BTW (because we must be clear about these things) I'm joking

More seriously, I don't think it would make too much difference as they would be your kids and you would love them because they are 'your' kids. I don't think the genetics would matter.

From a totally selfish perspective, I don't like the idea of all the kinks being ironed out. The anxious, the neurotic and the ever so slightly dark tend to be a bit more fun.

It all sounded like teething problems till you mentioned the clothing issue, Oldprof. Bugger.

""Even more so that people actually thought the OP was seriously considering this.""

There are many people who think that we should just remove babies from Mothers who are Single, Poor and Disabled and in some regions, depending on race, rather than have the Social/Welfare system that we have.

UKIP and the like hold back on what they really think should happen to severely (and not do severely) disabled children.

There are people who hold these views and as numerous holocausts have shown us, there are people quite happy to carry these acts out.

My Grandfather was removed from all family ties, he was Native American, he was never able to reliably track what happened to his siblings, or other family. As was a lot of other children, because it was thought they would be better placed in "White" families.

Around the world, children are being kidnapped/killed and their Mothers raped and inpregnated and people believe in this practice, so it did need "lighthearted".

You are vvvvvU. Especially about the orange revels. They are the best bit.

I can see some advantages of it. Especially in the royal family system we have today. Our own child could become King or Queen or be brought up in a family of multi millionaires or celebs.

No idea why I posted as this is obviously a wind up

Or a hypothetical proposal to prompt a discussion on nature vs nurture.