Scott Alexander describes his increasing hesitation to have children due to his experiences with rare genetic disorders and difficult patients in psychiatry and medicine.
Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses his growing reluctance to have children due to his experiences in medicine and psychiatry. He describes rare but severe genetic disorders like Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome, and shares his fear of having a child with such conditions. He then talks about antisocial personality disorder patients from seemingly perfect families, illustrating that good parenting doesn't guarantee a well-adjusted child. Finally, he criticizes the idea that gentle parenting can always replace discipline, drawing from his teaching experience to argue that some children simply won't cooperate without strict measures. The post ends with Scott expressing uncertainty about having children despite his desire for them.
Shorter summary