In Nebraska, there was the passage of a child abandonment law to prevent parents (read teens and young moms) from dumping their newborns in dangerous places. This NY Times article goes into some of the problems with this law. The wording of the law left the age of the child ambiguous and there have been cases of teens being dropped at police stations and hospitals including a single dad who left 9 of his 10 children at a hospital.

There’s been a large outcry about the parental responsibility. How can someone drop off their teen and walk away? People claim the law is being abused. This was for babies! If the parent is tired of their teen’s behavior, they can’t just leave them for the state!

I understand the issues with parental responsibility. And I wonder about the societal role of raising children. When I was a child, we had parents, aunts, uncles, and both sets of grandparents in the area. My kids have us. Their maternal grandparents are in NC. Their paternal grandparents are in OH. Aunts and Uncles are spread from NY to WA. We are it. That’s it. Just us.

So what if things got too tough? What if there is an emotional or behavioral problem with a child when the parent(s) are the only ones? Is it a societal responsibility to help the family? Should their be some form of consoling available by the state? Should insurance cover this? Should it just be left to the parents?

It’s an interesting question. I tend to lean more towards the socialist side of politics. I believe that we, as a society, need to make sure all of our citizens are cared for, whether it be health care, mental care or financial. But I am curious what others think….