Children, Parents, and Families

Now that we have outlined what goods make up a good childhood, let us turn to the question of who is responsible for ensuring that children have a good childhood. We will begin by clarifying what responsibilities parents have in providing a good childhood and bracket for now how the state enters in to these responsibilities. The family is a social institution that is embedded in state institutions and regulations (such as legal requirements). The ability of (many) parents to contribute to the realization of a good childhood is therefore limited by external sociopolitical and socioeconomic factors, in particular by material hardship and the precarious conditions in which they live. However, it does not follow from this interweaving of state, society, and family that the corresponding domains of responsibility cannot be separated from each other analytically or that parents could or should be relieved of responsibilities for a good childhood. Parental support is, in fact, necessary for the enactment of the goods of childhood.