Family Matters

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'sfuture is at stake. Therefore, she says, the time has come to offerparents the same kind of supports this grateful nation offered its WorldWar II veterans. Her platform, summarized here, comes out of two yearsof 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 incentivesfor family-friendly policies such as flexible hours, compressed workweeks, part-time work with benefits. Income support for parents ofpreschool children, eliminating the federal government's currentfive-year lifetime cap.

Economic security.
To this end: A $7 minimum wage to lift a family ofthree with one full-time worker above the poverty line. Expandedschool-to-work programs, to help young people navigate the path toemployment. Tax relief, including no payroll taxes for working parentsof preschoolers, and a $2,000 annual allowance per preschooler forfamilies earning less than $50,000. A program of mortgage subsidies forfamilies earning less than $100,000 a year. Rent support for morelow-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 whovoted 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. Tougherdivorce laws, with required marriage counseling and a three-year waitingperiod. Eliminating the marriage penalty in tax codes, which now meansmarried people pay more tax on their earnings than if they were single.More support for fathers, including special 10-day paternity leaves andgenerous visitation rights for noncustodial parents.

A supportive external environment.
To this end: Violenceand drug-freeneighborhoods. Quality schools, including extended days and morecommitment to the earliest years of a child's life. Quality child careand a shift in financial support for it. Now, close to half the $7billion that government spends on child care is in the form of dependentcare tax credits to families earning more than $50,000. Expanded healthcoverage, to all uninsured children and their parents. A responsibleentertainment industry. A political voice for parents, in an AARP-styleorganization.

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

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

H.J. Cummins covers family and parenting issues for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. She is a frequent contributor to Working Moms' Internet Refuge.

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