Naval Ravikant's parenting style is mind-blowing.
He lets his kids eat ice cream at 9 PM.
His oldest plays iPad 9 hours a day.
And he never forces his kids to do anything they don't want to do.
Here's why Naval says less strictness raises healthier kids:
This philosophy comes from David Deutsch — a man Naval considers "the smartest living human."
Aside from his work on quantum computing, Deutsch pioneered a concept called "Taking Children Seriously".
The core idea? Treat kids exactly like you'd treat other adults...
The philosophy argues that we only control children through implicit threats of physical force (e.g. "Go to your room!" or "Hand over that iPad!")
These are forms of intimidation we'd never use with adults. They may get children to do what you want — but don't teach them why.
Naval was drawn to this philosophy because of his own upbringing:
His father wasn't around when he was young. His mother didn't have the bandwidth to watch them all the time.
And yet he grew up with agency & curiosity.
This early independence shaped his view on parenting:
He believes children should have the same freedoms as adults.
Every interaction should be a discussion, negotiation, or explanation as it would be with a roommate/spouse.
Kids want to eat ice cream every day?
That's fine — but explain to them why that's bad first.
Eventually, with gentle guidance (and not force) children will come to the right decision themselves.
But while some practitioners let their kids do absolutely anything...
Naval has two non-negotiable rules:
1. One hour of math/programming daily
2. Two hours of reading daily
Once those are done, complete freedom.
The results have been fascinating...
Naval's kids — and family — are thriving:
His children are ahead of their peers. No one is behind on anything.
And because there are no arguments, the household is very happy. Everybody gets along and loves each other
But the most interesting part?
The kids are developing natural self-regulation:
His oldest recently passed on ice cream, saying he wanted to eat healthier.
This wasn't forced - it came from understanding consequences through experience.
This approach reveals something crucial about human nature:
When given agency and respect, people (even children) tend to make better decisions.
Not immediately, and not perfectly — but gradually, through their own experience and understanding.
This leads to Naval's most controversial belief:
He'd rather his children have agency than turn out exactly as he wants.
Because agency - the ability to take control over one's life & actions - is the hardest thing for a child to develop.
Parenting by force only leads to the opposite of agency.
The key insight?
Children will have to make all these decisions eventually.
The sooner they start practicing with guidance and support, the better equipped they'll be for real-world independence.
Children with overprotective/overbearing parents, meanwhile, often struggle with self-regulation.
This philosophy contradicts how most parents raise their children:
The need for constant control. The fear of giving children too much freedom. The impulse to protect them from all mistakes.
But Naval's results suggest something revolutionary:
Trust and freedom might be better teachers than control and restriction.
His kids aren't just surviving - they're thriving.
They're learning to think independently, make decisions, and understand consequences.
Just like Naval himself did...
I'm continuously amazed by Naval's insights.
From his guide to getting rich to this controversial approach to parenting, he's always giving away advice that'll transform people's lives.
Even though Naval's a serial founder & investor, he probably won't be remembered for it...
He'll likely instead be remembered as one of the greatest thinkers of our time.
Because his content has had more impact than 99% of businesses.
This is the blueprint to influence today...
Every founder has unique insights that could impact millions:
• Your industry expertise
• Your business learnings
• Your unique perspectives
They're ALL valuable. But most stay trapped in your mind.
Imagine if you took a leaf out of Naval's book:
You could become an authority in your niche too.
By consistently sharing your wins, losses & learnings, you'd generate unprecedented trust at scale — just like Naval did.
You create content once, but you're seen by millions. You build relationships on autopilot.
The result?
People feel comfortable doing business with you — despite not knowing you.
A personal brand is this generation's equivalent of real estate: either you consume content, and pay rent with your attention...
Or, you create content and reap the rewards.
The choice is yours...
Founders: We’ll build your personal/company brand on 𝕏 (and beyond) without you lifting a finger.
To date, we've already helped 140+ founders get 3+ Billion combined views.
Interested in how we can do this for you? Book your free discovery call here: form.typeform.com/to/JWuXNkxQ?ut…
Thanks for reading! A bit about me:
2 years ago, I cofounded @ThoughtleadrX — a premium personal branding agency for world-class founders, executives, and investors to dominate socials.
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