バートランド・ラッセル「親子が対立する原因」
* 原著：Children. [In: Mortals and Others, v.1]* 出典：牧野力(編)『ラッセル思想辞典』
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大部分の親は子供を可愛がり、・・・、その愛情は現実にはお説教の形になる場合が少なくない。
親が最新の児童心理学をひと度かじると事情が一変し、子は親に心配をかけ放題なのに、親は専ら黙って我慢する。
この不幸は、子供は二歳過ぎると、同年輩の仲間と付き合いたがるという簡単なことを親が知らないために生れる。
他方、親子の対立には生理的な理由もある。子供は常に動き回り、物音を立てていたいのに、大人は筋肉と神経の休息を必要とするからである。
(... This is when his parents are untouched by modern child psychology, as the great majority still are. When parents have learnt the new catchwords, the only result is that the situation is reversed; it is now the parent who must suffer in silence while the child is allowed to make himself a nuisance. The modern parent is conscientious, but is not on that account any more instinctively fond of her child than the old-fashioned parent who finds relief for irritation in physical chastisement. Nevertheless, both struggle on, because sentimentality has decreed that there is no joy equal to that to be derived from the companionship between children and parents.
This trouble is caused by failure to recognise a very simple fact, namely, that, at all ages beyond the second birthday, people prefer the society of their contemporaries to that of people much older or younger than themselves. ... The causes of this are physiological; children need constant movement and almost constant noise, whereas adults need rest for muscles and nerves.)