Raising kids

A few weeks ago he and I were talking about the most important qualities that we'd like to instill in our children (if any).

"Curiosity," he decided. "Wanting to find out how things work, and why they work, is really instrumental to ensuring that he or she grows up to be an interesting person."

I had to agree, thinking of all the people I've met and whose names I've forgotten because they didn't ask the right questions, or the right amount of questions. "What about you?" He asked.

"I'm thinking about it." A pause, interspersed with several hums on my side.

"A sense of justice." I said, finally.

"It's so crucial, don't you think? It'll ensure that he can identify flaws in an argument-" I was ticking off the benefits on each finger. "-and be trained to think rationally. And it'll teach him to stand up for himself-"

"As well as for other people."

"-absolutely, and it will also teach him not to judge others as he doesn't want to be judged."

He paused thoughtfully. "I don't know about that. I think I'd want a child who would be happy to be judged, so that he doesn't live by the silly rules that other people make for him."

"Sure. I don't mean that he shouldn't want to be judged - just that he'll know that if he's going to judge others by a certain measure, he ought to expect to be judged by the same standard himself."

"Yes, of course. Not to be a hypocrite. Confidence is extremely important as well - it gets you a higher salary, more friends..."

"And it gets you laid," I said with a smile.

"Yes. That too." He smiled back.

Make a baby with this guy, I noted mentally.