I like what I see here on this thread. I should clarify about parents. My mother didn't make me safe from my father, so from experience, and from knowing that incest gets turned a blind eye in a percentage of cases, usually when the mother has her own "issues," I think the state has a duty to protect children.
This is personal to me and my siblings. I personally could not protect them either. People need to wake up to the fact that in dysfunctional families, there is more fear than love. People get hurt. Parents do not protect their own children, or they do so in ways that only makes things worse down the line, namely C-PTSD.
If parents did such a good job, most of us on this forum wouldn't be here. Having lived in other cultures, I view North American culture as a bit blind to the fact that there is a lot placed on just two people, who already work and have other children to care for. Not enough support is in place to make our country and culture as good as it could be. For one thing, lack of adequate maternity leave (3 months) vacation time, sick leave , and living wages is creating a workaholic culture. Then, we have a huge drug and alcohol problem (don't know much about how to address it, but I'd start with lowering ACE's according to ACE Study). Top it off with guns and hunting and violent media...Parents are supposed to do it all on their own?
Privacy laws I have to admit will need to be changed. After 9-11, we sacrificed privacy at our airports, but the general attitude is that it's in a good cause and we'd rather go through the hassle of extra security than be driven into buildings. I guess I feel the same way about American privacy. Who needs it? People who are breaking the law need it. Children need their abusive parents to be outed so their grandparents or aunt and uncles can pick up the slack. My Dad's a Dr. He is a junkie as well. Nobody sees it because he's rich. Materialism hides a lot. Many middle and upper middle class kids never get reported on. Class closes ranks. My abused friends never got taken away either. Huge problem in all economic sectors.
My point is not to relieve parents. My point is that not every parent is able or willing to do their job. Someone else has to. Children are too important to the whole future of the world to leave it to parents alone. We could do more. That's all I mean. I feel strongly. Parents are in their teens or 20's and ignorant. They don't recognize the signs. They do naive things, let strangers live in their homes, etc. I've seen it all in homes you would never suspect with good and educated or religious parents. They all "failed" to protect or did too little too late. It is heart-breaking to me. After the ACE study, we need this wake up call. Something needs to change.
