Not looking for a whole answer with evidence... just looking for valid ideas for my answer? would be appreciated if you helped :)) What are the basic responsibilities and obligations of a parent toward their child? Do these responsibilities/obligations change as the child grows older? What should happen if a parent is not able to fulfill these?

There's a lot to think about on a question like this. Here's a list of a couple basic responsibilites:

- Provide an environment that is SAFE.

- Provide your child with BASIC NEEDS.

- Provide your child with SELF-ESTEEM NEEDS.

- Teach your child MORALS and VALUES.

- Develop MUTUAL RESPECT with your child.

- Provide DISCIPLINE which is effective and appropriate.

- Involve yourself in your child's EDUCATION.

- Get to KNOW YOUR CHILD.

As your children grow older, lets say teenage age, the responsibilities might get even harder to handle. At that age, a child is in the stage of growing up, and usually they tend to be rebellious at this stage. But it's your responsibility to make sure your child doesn't get himself/herself into anything that he might regret in the future (say smoking, drugs, or sex).

At this point, the parents should be honest with themselves. If you cannot afford to provide your child with basic needs and completely fufill your responsibility, then the reccomended course of action is to give your child to the state at enroll him in some sort of foster program. There, the child will recieve basic needs and discipline, but at the cost of him living away from the parent. Now if the parents refuse to send them to a foster home and decide to keep the child, a number of things can happen. If the state finds out about the childs condition, they'd likely take the child by force and probably even charge the parents for "abusing" their child.

that's a lot of reading foo

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