"Don't lock him in a closet."
- Bryan Caplan
"Caplan concedes that some may feel compunction about having more (or any) children when they are already short on time and resources. Wouldn't it be better to provide one or two children with a decent upbringing than to give three or four a lousy one? Here is the good news, according to Caplan, is: it doesn't matter. He cites a variety of twin and adoption studies showing that genetics swamps parenting on traits ranging from children's health and intelligence to their chances of going to prison. There's no need to monitor a kid's French-fries consumption, or ferry him to music lessons, or teach him to avoid felony charges. As long as you 'don't lock him in a closet,' he'll be O.K. Or not, as the case may be."
"The Case Against Kids" by Elizabeth Kolbert
New Yorker, April 9, 2012
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