This Site: In a Nutshell

I advocate an old-world child-rearing practice called "CL." Although outmoded by the swing of western civilization in the throes of a bureaucratic authority (where the state has assumed the essential functions), it survives through the charitable actions of independent agents (or "CLs") standing in opposition with, or at least parallel to, mainstream "adult decadence" and western cultural practices in child guidance. I believe all too much is made of the cultural constructs that only separate children from humanity (such as childhood "innocence"), and that these idealizations have done nothing to benefit actual living children. So I advocate recognizing a child as a whole individual--the good, the bad, and everything mental and physical about them.

I call it a "love doctrine" that stands in opposition to cultural and social modes of child subjection, control, abuse, and over-protectionism; that stresses being responsible for a child over simply "having" responsibility, good works over legislation, and a pretext of "do no harm." All too often what is there to protect children chokes them of a nurturing development, and therefore should be regarded with the same disdain as child molestation itself absorbs. "CL" takes nothing material for itself, for it is primarily motivated aesthetically, spiritually, biologically and socially, and is given with genuine charity rather than flimsy officialness.

The essential belief is that human beings are social, children develop in a social world, and that modern society is and has been systematically cutting off a child's ability to form an intimate, positive, and social relationship with the world around them and the people in it after decades of sensationalist paranoia, over-liability and protectionism, and sentimental pleas over common sense. Many CLs see their work as a slow rebuild of humanity in its children, essentially getting back those primitive human-to-human bonds between adult and child in a modern social context. It is an adult and child spending time together for no other reason than the fact that they are benefiting from each other, pro-socially, whether they are related or not.

Because both the child and the adult in this friendship stand in contrast with cultural practices, they run into conflict with its basic tenets (such as political correctness, nanny state policies...etc.), and are therefore often ridiculed. Because of this social ridicule, I feel they are better able to relate to a child--an entity also put upon by adult decadence and narrow-mindedness. The CL is truly a man of the past living in the present, walking in the future.

That is basically what I advocate here: platonic, caring, mutually-beneficial friendships between people of all ages. I don't advocate any illegal or improper methods for friendship courtship, and definitely believe there is something to be said for safety and common sense. Between adults and children, I only advocate trusted interpersonal experiences--family and friends--as far as contact is concerned. As far as charity is concerned though, no holds barred, whether adult or child-initiated.