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?

I think random reallocation would work better than scientific reallocation whilst we can still explain so little of human development scientifically. With random allocation, yes, you'd get some horrors, but it would work out on average...

I'm also too selfish to bring up someone else's children. I like my own a fair bit, but merely tolerate other people's.

Perhaps that's my issue.

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

Could be that too.

I've just discovered another issue - I'm too much of a control freak to let anyone else bring up my children. Too late to hand them over now.

There is a massive, fundamental difference between this proposal and those which remove poor and disadvantaged children.

This scheme would work towards averaging things out and would interfere with several mechanisms of the "rich get richer" type.

I think thats why we are a creche species.
Or not as the Thatcherites would want everyone else to agree with.

*Light fuse and run like the wind.

What exactly would be the reallocation criteria? I assume you wouldn't wish to be allocated a random child because obviously then you bear the risk of ending up with a baby whose genes are worse than yours. If you don't mind random allocation, then this doesn't really resolve anything because you could end up with either what you see as a perfect baby or a baby, who doesn't meet your idea of a desired gene pool. The chances are fairly equal seeing as there would be no way to predict anything in a random allocation.

If you aren't happy with the idea of random allocation, then you would like to be able to pick and choose. If that's the case, what would you propose we do with those babies that haven't been picked by anyone?

There's also a massive difference between things that people idly discuss on a grey afternoon and wildly out of control fascism.

Mine look like they've been randomly allocated to me anyway.

I get complete strangers stopping me to say 'Aren't they all different!' (or at least people did, before they became huge hulking teens who loom over me).

I had a friend who had adopted his children who said once that she did think there were some benefits from doing so because you weren't so inclined to blame yourself for their faults - you just accepted them as they were.

Equally it might stop some parents being super-smug about their very bright children, and increase human compassion to people who are different from ourselves (think different looks, race, etc as well as things that a bit of a mix of nature/nurture)

But realisitically I think it might be a bit of a hard sell to a brand new set of parents with their gorgeous new baby.....

I agree that there are one or two flaws. If you are not happy with your allocated child there could be a few rejected children that aren't cared for properly. Oh wait that's already the case...

I can't believe the people on here clearly making a living out of being offended! Is it the content of the OP or the fact that she posted it in AIBU?

FWIW, this is a very common theme (or variations of) in many sci-fi books so this isn't a particularly new or inventive idea!

(Sorry OP )

I think it's an interesting idea.

If everyone had their children reallocated then we'd all have to be more caring about each other wouldn't we? I mean, you wouldn't be able to have an 'I'm alright' attitude, because your offspring might be the ones going to the dump school, or living in terrible housing or whatever. So we'd all probably end up more altruistic.

However, I do think the negatives outweigh the positives on the whole.

I can see some advantages of it. Especially in the royal family system we have today.

Never thought about this before, but you're right. We could restore chins to those in need.

When allocating, do the parents get a say in what sort of children they'd like?

A well sleeping squishy baby, a fun but compliant pre-teen and a helpful and warm hearted teenager not glued to the iPad at all times for me, please.

Now back to my not so perfect reality and yet another homework stand-off having shared the bed with more people than I'd chose.

The double whammy thing has occurred to me before now. But in the OP you mention a negative example. If your system was introduced, it would apply to positive examples too.

Wouldn't this have the effect of making everyone tend towards the mean? I can see that's a good thing for social equality, but not necessarily when it comes to personality / intellect. I think the world would be a poorer place without some of the extreme examples created by the double whammy effect.

What a brilliant thread, Mr Cameron OP! I needed a laugh today.

Obviously this would only work if it was done SECRETLY for the first five years or so. By then it would be impossible to say whose child is whose. Slowly people would understand the benefits and stop protesting.

I wouldn't mind as long as I get a baby - I've worked hard to train mine to an acceptable level of politeness and helpfulness. I'm not going through it with an older child as they are better trained when young, much like puppies.

Sounds like a good idea to me OP. I agree about ironing out the nature / nurture stuff.

It's not serious , some people really have their knickers well and truly twisted.Several times it seems.
Why not just do several swaps through life o.p. If you have had a brilliant bab/toddler you get a devil child to put things in balance.

Why not just do several swaps through life

Like a siren goes off and we all have to quickly swap? Like in PE lessons when they blow the whistle and you have to switch partners? I like it...

I think the principle has already been tested via twin adoption studies, where each twin was adopted into a different family. And it turns out that nearly everything, health, wealth etc is genetic, to a very high degree. So just don't worry so much about your DC. They will do as well with you as they would with any other loving family.