In the United States, there is a large debate about various aspects of people’s lives. There is an extensive argument over which party to vote for, whether women should be able to abort, which drugs should and shouldn’t be legalized, and whether people should have free reign in regards to gun use. However, people and politics tend to stay away from criticizing the way that people raised their children. Parents have so much power over their children. Parents decide how their children get educated, whether they receive healthcare, and have control over their earnings, which are huge decisions that people fail to realize people are making for other growing humans. This control, if left unchecked, can lead to dangerous situations occurring. 

Parents have control over how they educate their children, this can at times include homeschooling. While in many cases homeschooling can be beneficial to children (cause them to have higher test scores, can shield them from bullying, etc), it can also lead to potentially harmful home lives for children(Snyder). While the quality of public school education and the benefits may not always supersede that of a homeschooling education, there are other benefits for children to go to traditional schools. One huge benefit from going to public schools is that teachers are mandatory reporters for abuse by parents. In fact, “...95% of physical abuse cases are reported by public school teachers”(Karki). Additionally, public schools have basic vaccinated requirements that ensure that the constituents of the school have immunity to dangerous viruses such as polio, measles, chickenpox, and more (Karki). Finally, public schools have programs to ensure children have access to meals, and disability screening(“Homeschooling & Child Abuse"). This can ensure that children are fed properly, and can get the aid they need to thrive in society. Being homeschooled can prevent kids from getting out of abusive households, from getting vaccinations/healthcare, and can prevent them from ensuring they have their basic needs met. Homeschooling can be favorable for many but traditional schools can often be the way as a society we can ensure that many children get their basic needs met, and while some parents seem to have their children’s best interest at heart when they make this decision, we must realize that children are humans that have little ability to remove themselves from abusive situations and homeschooling can often strip them of certain basic human rights. 

In many states, parents have full control over their child’s medical decisions, which can be extremely harmful to their kids. There are many religious and other reasons that people refuse medical care, and for adults that is fine, but parents who adhere to certain religions will often project their beliefs onto their children. This means that many kids cannot receive medical attention when they fall ill which can and have led to tragic endings. In 2017, a two-year-old child in Philadelphia died from untreated pneumonia(Rubinkam). The child’s parents believed in faith-healing and purposefully refused to take their child to the hospital when they saw their daughter was suffering(Rubinkam). Most states do not have laws that ban faith-healing as a defense against murder, which is extremely harmful to children. There are 34 states, as of 2016, that have religious exemptions from reprimanding parents that refuse medical care for children due to religious reasons, meaning the majority of states protect parents that put their children in the position to die when faced with common and treatable illnesses(Sandstrom). As mentioned before, public schools require certain vaccinations for children to attend, meaning the majority of children in the U.S. have a defense from certain illnesses. However, the number of anti-vaccine parents is rising, putting more and more children in danger of contracting life-threatening illnesses. Children are human beings who have little to no control over their lives for 16-18 years, and in that time, they could lose their life due to medical neglect and for religions that they may or may not believe in. There should be laws that ensure that all children get adequate healthcare regardless of their parent's beliefs. Parents can be biased and use their own beliefs to potentially harm their children. 

Parents have control over their children's earnings which can prevent their children from escaping abusive situations. Parents have control over a minor's finances and earnings till the age of 18, which can lead to children not being able to gain financial independence until after turning 18 and keeping them in abusive situations(“Child’s Earnings and Services”). Financial independence is key for people of all ages to free themselves from maltreatment, for example, victims of domestic violence(“Gaining Financial Independence: Six Strategies for Victims Escaping Domestic Violence”).  Additionally, minors need consent to get a job, get a license, and have any sort of independence(“Parental Responsibility Laws in All 50 States”). This can keep children financially dependent and thus, submissive to parents for extended periods, and can also prevent them from breaking free and succeeding later on in life.

Often people fail to realize that minors are people that have little to no control over their own lives. This lack of control and the lack of resources and help for children that may have dangerous home lives is detrimental to the wellbeing of so many kids. Parents should have checks on their power over their children. The topic of parenting is controversial for several reasons. People don’t want the government to interfere with their lives but who is there to intervene on behalf of children? Whether it be through education, or the lack of assistance they get, the healthcare they may or may not receive, or through the continued abuse into adulthood due to lack of control over their finances, children are at the mercy of their parents, which can be dangerous and should be addressed. 

Work Cited 

“Child's Earnings and Services.” The Free Dictionary, Farlex, legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Child%27s+Earnings+and+Services.

“Gaining Financial Independence: Six Strategies for Victims Escaping Domestic Violence.” Insurance Information Institute, 9 Oct. 2014, www.iii.org/press-release/gaining-financial-independence-six-strategies-for-victims-escaping-domestic-violence-100914.

“Homeschooling & Child Abuse.” Coalition for Responsible Home Education, 26 Mar. 2021, responsiblehomeschooling.org/advocacy/policy/abuse-in-homeschooling-environments/.

Karki, Smriti. “The Ethics of Homeschooling.” The Prindle Post, 3 Oct. 2019, www.prindlepost.org/2019/10/the-ethics-of-homeschooling/.

“Parental Responsibility Laws in All 50 States.” MATTHIESEN, WICKERT & LEHRER, S.C., 3 Aug. 2018, www.mwl-law.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/parental-responsibility-in-all-50-states.pdf.

Rubinkam, Michael. “2-Year-Old Girl Dies After Faith-Healing Parents Refuse Medical Treatment: Officials.” NBC10 Philadelphia, 2 Feb. 2017, www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/ella-foster-faith-healing-death/29977/.

Sandstrom, Aleksandra. “Most States' Child Abuse and Neglect Laws Have Religious Exemptions from Child Abuse and Neglect Laws.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 12 Aug. 2016, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/08/12/most-states-allow-religious-exemptions-from-child-abuse-and-neglect-laws/.

Snyder, Marc. An Evaluative Study of the Academic Achievement of Homeschooled Students Versus Traditionally Schooled Students Attending a Catholic University. Mar. 2013, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1005657.pdf.