In a free society, the relationship between a young child and his or her parents or guardians is best understood as a special kind of contractual agreement. As in any other contract, certain obligations are imposed upon the parties:

• The parents or guardians agree to provide for basic physical, mental, and education needs and for the physical safety of the child.

• The child is obliged to abide by behavioral limits imposed by the parents or guardians.

Note that the child is not the property of his or her parents, but is recognized as an independent, self-owned human being. Hence a parent cannot, for instance, prevent the child from receiving necessary medical treatment or (as in the famed Elian Gonzalez case) force him or her into a lifetime of slavery. The child possesses rights similar to those of any other human individual, although some of those rights are vested in the parents or guardians for the duration of the contract.     

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