Parents held sway over their children because so much of life was dependent upon the family. Domestic help, help during food scarcity, help during a housing crisis, etc.
Today the government provides much of these services, but usually to a lesser extent. The result is the destruction of the power of the m/patriarchs, the replacement of the family by government, etc.
On the bright side, you can now walk away from abusive families. The more families are exposed, the more we see how many are messed up.
But on the downside, your average matriarch or patriarch was probably a better parent than the government, and better positioned to exert social pressure needed by often wayward children.
Parents held sway over their children because so much of life was dependent upon the family. Domestic help, help during food scarcity, help during a housing crisis, etc.
Today the government provides much of these services, but usually to a lesser extent. The result is the destruction of the power of the m/patriarchs, the replacement of the family by government, etc.
On the bright side, you can now walk away from abusive families. The more families are exposed, the more we see how many are messed up.