In a prior blog I suggested the system of marriage was no longer useful. Here is my recommended replacement. I call it the Replacement to Marriage: A Community Contract and it is to be signed by all of us (not just parents!). Here it is: “We hereby agree as citizens of this country (parents and non-parents) that marriage as a device to raise our children no longer works. We believe that children are much too important to and critical to our economic, social and human future to leave their whole upbringing to a few individuals. We do not want those who choose to raise children to suffer unnecessarily and do not want them to carry the full financial and emotional burden that parenting brings. We refuse to leave any man or woman solely responsible for bearing and raising children since we know they are for the benefit of everyone.
We promise to not interfere but instead provide all care-givers with various supports so they can do this child-rearing job well. This of course includes providing children with food, education, and care as well as providing parents and others who take on this task with such as things as pay and flexible working hours should they decide to work at other jobs. Our laws and particularly our social and tax laws will support this agreement and we are willing to take on the costs.”