Headline of the Day

Why America Hates Its Children

—Business Insider

They make the obvious point that in the United States, children are neglected and confined by society in some profoundly worrying ways:

Last summer, my kids and I spent a month in Greece, where their grandfather lives. Time and again, I was struck by a public attitude toward children I seldom encountered in America: unequivocal support.

On Athenian buses, women older than myself frequently gave up their seats for my 5- and 8-year-old daughters. On one trip, an older woman hauled my younger child up next to her and tucked her hand underneath my daughter's elbow to prevent her from being thrown forward with every sudden stop. She held on to her like this for the whole ride.

In America, we socialize our children to see strangers not as helpers but as threats. Worried parents scour Nextdoor for loiterers and miscreants; neighbors routinely call the police when parents let their kids explore outside. And when kids aren't being treated as endangered, they're often viewed as a nuisance. How many articles have I read about whether children should be allowed on airplanes, or at weddings, or in restaurants?

Every country has its share of adults who pose a threat to children. But the difference in how America treats its kids goes far beyond the "it takes a village" attitude that prevails in countries like Greece. Virtually every other industrialized nation provides more government aid for their children than America does. Of the 38 countries that belong to the leading Western trade alliance, the US ranks No. 32 in spending on early childhood. In Sweden, which offers single parents a staggering 480 days of paid parental leave, preschool costs no more than 3% of a family's gross income. America, by contrast, has no mandated paid parental leave. It has no universal childcare. Only one-third of American families can afford childcare, which consumes 27% of their income on average. Parents are being forced to leave big cities because they can't absorb the costs of childcare, while those in rural areas often can't find care at all.

America's rampant child neglect doesn't stop with its lack of day care. Infants are more likely to die in childbirth in America than in any other rich nation, and US newborns are more likely to grow up in poverty. Millions of children attend public schools that are literally falling apart. Children who are neglected — a loose term inextricably tied to poverty — are thrown into a foster-care system known for its propensity to harm children. The shortage of foster families is so critical that many kids wind up being temporarily housed in settings like casinos, office buildings, and juvenile detention facilities. The US is the only member of the United Nations that hasn't ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which includes the right to be free from violence and labor exploitation. In Oregon, where I live, children as young as 9 are allowed to do agricultural work, and many states are trying to loosen their already flimsy child-labor protections so teenagers can be forced to work longer hours. The leading cause of death for American children and teens is gun violence.

All of which raises the question: Why does America hate its children?

Because children have needs, and America is Lord of the Flies writ large.

How dare you be helpless.

How dare you have needs.

You should have considered that before you were born.