Father's World

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A Manifesto In Support of Parents

A Dream List of Parents' Rights

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Decline of traditional American Family slows in 90's

Quality Makes Big Difference to Child Care

Bringing up Boozers

Following Father's Footsteps

California Court Decision

A Dream List Of Parents' Rights

A Manifesto In Support of Parents

by H.J. Cummins

Parents are at war with a culture that is attacking their families, author Sylvia Ann Hewlett says, and nothing less than this nation's future is at stake. Therefore, she says, the time has come to offer parents the same kind of supports this grateful nation offered its World War II veterans. Her platform, summarized here, comes out of two years of research and parent interviews. Mothers and fathers are entitled to:

Time for their children.
To this end: Government-mandated, job-protected, paid parenting leave of 24 weeks. Employer tax incentives for family-friendly policies such as flexible hours, compressed work weeks, part-time work with benefits. Income support for parents of preschool children, eliminating the federal government's current five-year lifetime cap.

Economic security.
To this end: A $7 minimum wage to lift a family of three with one full-time worker above the poverty line. Expanded school-to-work programs, to help young people navigate the path to employment. Tax relief, including no payroll taxes for working parents of preschoolers, and a $2,000 annual allowance per preschooler for families earning less than $50,000. A program of mortgage subsidies for families earning less than $100,000 a year. Rent support for more low-income families.

A pro-family electoral system.
To this end: One vote for every American, with a parent voting on behalf of all his or her children up to age 18. Voting incentives, such as waiving driver's license fees to anyone who voted in the most recent national election.

A pro-family legal structure.
To this end: Weightier marriage laws, possibly along the lines of Louisiana's new option of a "covenant" marriage that is legally more binding than standard marriage. Tougher divorce laws, with required marriage counseling and a three-year waiting period. Eliminating the marriage penalty in tax codes, which now means married people pay more tax on their earnings than if they were single. More support for fathers, including special 10-day paternity leaves and generous visitation rights for noncustodial parents.

A supportive external environment.
To this end: Violenceand drug-free neighborhoods. Quality schools, including extended days and more commitment to the earliest years of a child's life. Quality child care and a shift in financial support for it. Now, close to half the $7 billion that government spends on child care is in the form of dependent care tax credits to families earning more than $50,000. Expanded health coverage, to all uninsured children and their parents. A responsible entertainment industry. A political voice for parents, in an AARP-style organization.

Honor and dignity.
To this end: A special education credit worth $2,000 to $5,000, so parents who stay home with a young child can return to school to prepare to work again. An "Index of Parent Well Being," fashioned after such financial measures as the Dow Jones averages, that will record crucial indicators over time, including parents' average weekly earnings, time available for children, access to affordable housing, health coverage and divorce rates.

This article first appeared in Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 Star Tribune. Republished here with the permission of the Star Tribune. No further republication or redistribution permitted without the express written consent of the Star Tribune

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