An impious question comes up: Why should a child obey? My
answer is: He must obey to satisfy the adult's desire for power.
Otherwise, why should a child obey?

"Well," you say, "he may get his feet wet if he disobeys the
command to put on shoes; he may even fall over the cliff if he
disobeys his father's shout." Yes, of course, the child should obey
when it is a matter of life and death. But how often is a child
punished for disobeying in matters of life and death? Seldom, if
ever! He is generally hugged with a "My precious! Thank God,
you're safe!" It is for small things that a child is usually pun-
ished.

Now it is possible to run a house where obedience is not re-
quired. If I say to a child, "Get your books and take a lesson in
English," he may refuse if he is not interested in English. His
disobedience merely expresses his own desires, which obviously
do not intrude on or hurt anyone else. But if I say, "The center
part of the garden is planted; no one is to run over it!" all the
children accept what I say in much the same way that they ac-
cept Derrick's command, "Nobody is to use my ball unless they
ask me first." For obedience should be a matter of give and take.
Occasionally, at Summerhill, there is disobedience of a law
passed in the General School Meeting. Then the children may
themselves take action. However, in the main, Summerhill runs
along without any authority or any obedience. Each individual
is free to do what he likes as long as he is not trespassing on the
freedom of others. And this is a realizable aim in any commu-
nity.

Under self-regulation, there is no authority in the home. This

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