Q
I seem to still be only halfway through this “overmuch study” section, which now seems to be about “not enough study.”
“And so they bring up their children, rude as they are themselves, unqualified, untaught, uncivil most part. Quis e nostra juventute legitime instituitur literis? Quis oratores aut Philosophos tangit? Quis historiam legit, illam rerum agendarum quasi animam? Praecipitant parentes vota sua, etc. [Which of our youths is properly trained in literature? Which of them knows anything of the orators or philosophers? Who reads history, the inspiration of public activity? Parents are in too great a hurry, etc.]
Complaints like “Kids today are so uncivil and don’t read any phiosophos or literis” are of course as old as time, no surprise to see that in a four hundred year-old book. Apparently piling on parents for doing it wrong is also not new. Praecipitant parentes vota sua sounds like it could be the title of the next left-leaning prominent periodical’s daily article on parents parenting wrong (I’m looking at you, Atlantic, and you, The New York Times) only not in Latin. It wouldn’t be in Latin. That would be weird. Kids today, no one knows Latin anymore! Also stop teaching your kids Latin, you’re pushing them too hard. “Why are(n’t) American parents teaching their kids Latin in the 21st century?” I should pitch both versions.
Parenting is hard. It’s no surprise that birth rates are falling (drastically) in parts of the world where finally, at this late point in history, women have the right to choose whether or not to be a parent.
At least we do for now, in some states, so VOTE.