If we judge the West by the state of its families, the West is sick. Millions of children barely see their parents, or for only a few minutes a day. One in two families break down, for better or worse. The casualties throng the family courts. Our maladjusted system has made the ideal of 'mom' and 'dad' - i.e. a loving, constant, adult presence in a child's infancy - a rarity. To speak of the 'maternal instinct' still elicits scorn or embarrassment from some feminists, who continue to mock 'holy motherhood'. This single is a defense of parents and children. It does not suggest a return to the 1950s. On the contrary, it champions the 'New Family', which most policymakers, companies, religions, and social conservatives have failed to accept or keep pace with (read on to find out what the New Family is). The resulting policy drag - the failure to transform notions of childcare, the workplace, and parental leave to match new social realities - has had devastating consequences for the family, especially that exhausted, unsung heroine, the working mother. Drawing on the latest research, Paul Ham and Bernie Brown hope to bring fresh thinking to one of the oldest and most difficult challenges: how best to raise children. We offer 12 'Modest Proposals' that might better attune the West to the needs of the New Family.
