Our Way
We raise fiat-proof kids
What does Fiat-proof mean?
BITCOIN
Fiat means ‘by decree‘ or ‘let it be done‘, as in following the authorities demand without questioning it. It’s a term that is used in the Bitcoin space. Fiat-money is any currency that has value because the government or bank ‘says so‘, not because it’s backed by anything. While historically linked to gold, the ability to print unlimited amounts has led to the devaluation of hard-earned currency, fueling inflation. Contrastingly, Bitcoin holds appeal due to its decentralized nature and deflationary design, impervious to control by any single entity.
UNSCHOOLING
Aligned with the Bitcoin ethos, we, as advocates of both Bitcoin and unschooling, reject the concept of fiat education. Consequently, we refrain from subjecting our children to conventional schooling systems that tend to mold them into compliant workers, constraining their potential in a manner that fails to prepare them for the future. Unschooling is decentralized education.
THE MIND
Our conditioned minds are also an authority to us, if not questioned. If you use Bitcoin as your currency and unschooling as your educational method, but don’t work on your subconscious beliefs that have been passed on from generation to generation for thousands of years, you will not be fully fiat proof, nor will your kids be. That’s why we, at APTB, fiat-proof all the way, also taking responsibility for our mental programming so that it won’t limit us or our children.
How do we fiat-proof kids?
WE OPERATE BY FIRST PRINCIPLES
Every child will make mistakes, take risks, feel big emotions, and sometimes do things we might not fully understand or approve of. That’s part of growing up—it’s how they learn. At APTB, we believe the most empowering thing we can offer is a strong foundation: a home-like environment rooted in first principles, where children are safe to explore, reflect, and grow.
We believe that every child is born a free human being—not someone to be managed, but someone to be trusted. Our job isn’t to control them like a CEO, but to guide and support them with love, presence, and trust in their natural intelligence. Children, when given space and respect, often show remarkable clarity about what they want to do and how they want to grow.
Of course, every family has different concerns. Some worry about screentime. Others about future experimentation with substances, or how their child will cope emotionally in tough times. These concerns are valid. But the deeper truth is this: by raising children in an environment that honors their autonomy, values connection over control, and builds trust rather than fear—you are preparing them not just for challenges, but for life itself.
When children feel seen, trusted, and loved, they build the inner strength to make wise decisions—even when you're not there to guide them. That’s the gift of this path.
FIRST PRINCIPLES THINKING
First principles thinking is about breaking things down to their core truths—what you know for sure—and then building up from there. It helps you make clearer, more intentional choices, instead of just copying what others are doing.
In the context of raising kids, first principles might look like this:
Children are born curious, capable, and whole.
→ So they don’t need to be filled up with knowledge—they need space to explore and unfold.Trust is more powerful than control.
→ So we focus on connection and communication, rather than obedience.Real learning is driven by interest, not coercion.
→ So we let kids follow what excites them, instead of forcing a curriculum.Mistakes are part of growth.
→ So we don’t try to prevent every fall—we see possibilities to learn from.Freedom with responsibility builds self-mastery.
→ So we give kids freedom, while helping them understand the impact of their choices.
Why is this important?
Because when we parent or educate from first principles, we stop reacting out of fear or cultural conditioning, and start creating true freedom. We raise children who know how to think for themselves—not just follow rules, but truly understand the world around them.
Let’s enjoy this ride together and raise some bad-as fiat-proof kids! ;-)
Each being should be allowed the opportunity of unfettered expansion. I see APTB as allowing the development of youth to be likened to the sprouting of a seedling that unfolds and unfurls from a nutrient rich soil and stretches upward.
This innocent seedling drinks in the freshness of life, air and the sunlight of creativity. It has no shackles, no inhibitors, no conformists or limiting agendas to repress its growth.
- Kevin Ferran, author
Excerpts from the book ‘The Parent’s Tao Te Ching‘
“You do not know the true origin of your children.
You call them yours but they are belong to a greater Mystery.
You do not know the name of the Mystery
but it is the true Mother and Father of your children.
At birth your children are filled with possibilities.
It is not your job to limit their possibilities.
Do not say ‘This and that are possible for you. These other things are not.’
They will discover themselves what is and what is not possible.
It is your job to stay open to the marvelous mystery of life.”
— William Martin
“If you fill every waking moment of your children’s lives they will have no room to be themselves.
If you push them constantly they will break.
If you burden them with an abundance of material toys their hearts will contract possessiveness.
If you always try to please them you will be their prisoner, not their parent.
Don’t strive or strain. do your work, then rest.
Your children will learn serenity.
Are your children problems to be solved, or people to be loved?
Consider current problems with your children.
Can you create space, free from your own anxieties, in which they are able to find their own way, feeling your love, but not your expectations?”
— William Martin
“Doing nothing when your child fails requires great courage and is the way of wisdom.
Gentleness when your child misbehaves requires great self-control and is the way of power.
Do not succumb to berating, scolding, interfering, interrupting, lecturing, or controlling your child.
Let your gentle presence teach all that is necessary.
Every mistake your child makes is another step forward on the long road to wholeness.
Every time your interfere you both step backwards.”