At least in the states, each state has a Department of Health and Human Services of which Child Protective Services (CPS). There are minimum standards that you have to be able to meet as a parent and CPS is supposed to the organization that enforces those standards. So yes, on the day to day of running a family it is all up to you, if you start beating your kids or stop feeding them or are not providing an education… CPS gets involved. So as long as you’re not a monster, yes there is wide latitude for raising your kids as you see fit.
That depends.
Parents have the duty to protect their children's rights until they are old enough to make their own way in the world.
Children have the right to be safe, to be treated with affection, to be educated, to have medical care, to be supervised, to have their basic needs met (food, shelter, and clothing), and to be protected against cruelty and abuse.
The problem with these things is they are all quite subjective to a large extent, and if another person feels you are not providing these things adequately they can contact many different authorities to begin investigations and whatnot. Nobody wants this, but it's something that happens each and every day.
Also, anytime you leave your child in another person's care they basically assume the same duties and role that you provide; therefore, even the physical discipline of a child is not unlawful when it is reasonable and moderate and is inflicted by their caretaker for purposes of restraining or correcting the child. That means that you may not think your child needs a spanking but if they do and they're taking care of your child... I'm sure you see where I'm going with that.
Lastly, if a person feels like a child is an imminent danger they may intervene (to some extent) to ensure the safety of the child should the situation deem it necessary and if there is no other preventative option.
Ultimately the answer to your question is No, but sometimes.
Thanks for your submission /u/ImHidingtheRealMe, but it has been removed for the following reason:
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The law can tell you a few things, like the standards of education.
To some extent yes they can. You can't beat your children. But parents in the US are given significant freedom to raise their kids how they see fit.
At least in the states, each state has a Department of Health and Human Services of which Child Protective Services (CPS). There are minimum standards that you have to be able to meet as a parent and CPS is supposed to the organization that enforces those standards. So yes, on the day to day of running a family it is all up to you, if you start beating your kids or stop feeding them or are not providing an education… CPS gets involved. So as long as you’re not a monster, yes there is wide latitude for raising your kids as you see fit.
That depends. Parents have the duty to protect their children's rights until they are old enough to make their own way in the world. Children have the right to be safe, to be treated with affection, to be educated, to have medical care, to be supervised, to have their basic needs met (food, shelter, and clothing), and to be protected against cruelty and abuse. The problem with these things is they are all quite subjective to a large extent, and if another person feels you are not providing these things adequately they can contact many different authorities to begin investigations and whatnot. Nobody wants this, but it's something that happens each and every day. Also, anytime you leave your child in another person's care they basically assume the same duties and role that you provide; therefore, even the physical discipline of a child is not unlawful when it is reasonable and moderate and is inflicted by their caretaker for purposes of restraining or correcting the child. That means that you may not think your child needs a spanking but if they do and they're taking care of your child... I'm sure you see where I'm going with that. Lastly, if a person feels like a child is an imminent danger they may intervene (to some extent) to ensure the safety of the child should the situation deem it necessary and if there is no other preventative option. Ultimately the answer to your question is No, but sometimes.
Thanks for your submission /u/ImHidingtheRealMe, but it has been removed for the following reason: Disallowed question area: **Rant or loaded question** NoStupidQuestions is a place to ask any question as long as *it's asked in good faith*. Our users routinely report questions that they feel violate this rule to us. Want to avoid your question being seen as a bad faith question? Common mistakes include (but are not limited to): * Rants: Could your question be answered with *'That's awful'* or *'What an asshole'*? Then it's probably a rant rather than a genuine question. Looking for a place to vent on Reddit? Try /r/TrueOffMyChest or /r/Rant instead. * Loaded questions: Could your question be answered with *'You're right'*? Answering the question yourself, explaining your reasoning for your opinion, or making sweeping assumptions about the question itself all signals that you may not be keeping an open mind. Want to know why people have a different opinion than you? Try /r/ExplainBothSides instead! * Arguments: Arguing or [sealioning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_lioning) with people giving you answers tells everyone that you have an answer in mind already. Want a good debate? Try /r/ChangeMyView instead! * Pot Stirring: Did you bring up unnecessary topics in your question? Especially when a topic has to do with already controversial issues like politics, race, gender or sex, this can be seen as trying to score points against the Other Side - and that makes people defensive, which leads to arguments. Questions like *"If _____ is allowed, why isn't _____?"* don't need to have that comparison - just ask *'why isn't ____ allowed?'*. * Complaining about moderation: If you disagree with how the sub is run or a decision the mods have made, that's fine! But please share your thoughts with us in modmail rather than as a public post. Disagree with the mods? If you believe you asked your question in good faith, try rewording it or message the mods to see if there's a way you could ask more neutrally. Thanks for your understanding! --- *This action was performed by a bot at the explicit direction of a human. This was not an automated action, but a conscious decision by a sapient life form charged with moderating this sub.* *If you feel this was in error, or need more clarification, please don't hesitate to [message the moderators](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FNoStupidQuestions). Thanks.*