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Isn't it sad that as a society, it has come down to schools to provide security to children, as opposed to their own family. I think the root cause is the frag

Isn't it sad that as a society, it has come down to schools to provide security to children, as opposed to their own family. I think the root cause is the fragmented family system in the US. Marriages and divorces happen so much that the ultimate sufferers are the children. A society that is so fragile socially, will eventually collapse.

scottlamb 6y ago
> Isn't it sad that as a society, it has come down to schools to provide security to children, as opposed to their own family. It hasn't. Families _are_ the primary way we provide security for children. No family is perfect but most keep their kids safe. Some don't, all over the world, so we have checks and balances. People trained to fill that role are called "mandated reporters". Teachers are arguably the most important mandated reporters because they spend so much time with the kids every weekday. And even well-meaning, financially secure parents can miss things like the need for speech therapy. Teachers know what's developmentally normal, know what resources are available, etc. > I think the root cause is the fragmented family system in the US. Marriages and divorces happen so much that the ultimate sufferers are the children. How do the stats compare in some other country that doesn't have as much divorce?
- kumarvvr 6y ago
  > No family is perfect but most keep their kids safe Curious, what percentage of families, on average, do you think are "Not perfect"?
  - scottlamb 6y ago
    When I say "no family is perfect", I mean just that: exactly 100% of families are "not perfect" in how we raise our kids. But I don't mean abuse; I mean we all make mundane mistakes in how we handle situations rather than being like the grown-ups on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, maybe that we plunk the kids down in front of the TV sometimes when we should spend more quality time with them, etc. Keeping kids safe from child abuse is a pretty low bar and most families meet it. According to one stat I found [1], at least 1% of kids are abused every year. That's horrible and would be even worse if not for mandated reporters, but it doesn't mean that schools provide security for kids and families don't. [1] https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/ https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/nationa...

scottlamb 6y ago

> Isn't it sad that as a society, it has come down to schools to provide security to children, as opposed to their own family. It hasn't. Families _are_ the primary way we provide security for children. No family is perfect but most keep their kids safe. Some don't, all over the world, so we have checks and balances. People trained to fill that role are called "mandated reporters". Teachers are arguably the most important mandated reporters because they spend so much time with the kids every weekday. And even well-meaning, financially secure parents can miss things like the need for speech therapy. Teachers know what's developmentally normal, know what resources are available, etc. > I think the root cause is the fragmented family system in the US. Marriages and divorces happen so much that the ultimate sufferers are the children. How do the stats compare in some other country that doesn't have as much divorce?

kumarvvr 6y ago
> No family is perfect but most keep their kids safe Curious, what percentage of families, on average, do you think are "Not perfect"?
- scottlamb 6y ago
  When I say "no family is perfect", I mean just that: exactly 100% of families are "not perfect" in how we raise our kids. But I don't mean abuse; I mean we all make mundane mistakes in how we handle situations rather than being like the grown-ups on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, maybe that we plunk the kids down in front of the TV sometimes when we should spend more quality time with them, etc. Keeping kids safe from child abuse is a pretty low bar and most families meet it. According to one stat I found [1], at least 1% of kids are abused every year. That's horrible and would be even worse if not for mandated reporters, but it doesn't mean that schools provide security for kids and families don't. [1] https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/ https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/nationa...