The Family Cannot Be Substituted by the State

the_state_cannot_substitute_thefamilyThe child can have no better guardian than the family which watches over him more than any state agency can do. Carle Zimmerman notes:

The parent who prevents a baby from swallowing a safety pin, keeps him from high places, warns a child daily about crossing the street, and inspects the evacuation functions of a child during the first years of its life does more protecting of a family member than the whole police force of the United States does altogether for the child in its entire pre-adult life. The great fire hazards for a child are scalding water, matches, electrical circuits, stoves (wood, gas, and electric), and fireplaces. The family Subscription6members and only the family members are the ones who take care of these dangers – not the fire departments. The religious and moral attitudes and behavior of the parents, still have ten times more influence upon the value behavior of the young than all the other ‘moral’ agencies put together.” (Carle C. Zimmerman, Family and Civilization, ISI Books, Wilmington, Del., 2008, p 196.)