Being a good parent is a lot like running a penitentiary for the criminally insane.
The first step is to provide a secure, furnished environment. Not only to protect the inmates from each other and themselves, but also to keep the public out of harms way. There is nothing more depraved or frightening than a mob of toddlers and elementary aged kids together approaching an unsuspecting mass of shoppers in the local Wal-Mart, recreating a prison riot scene from "Oz", while parents are sprinting after them like bondsmen trying to protect an investment(Ironically, many people at Wal-Mart actually look like the cast from "Dog the Bounty Hunter). But most importantly, it is to protect the prisoners from the influence of the outside world. It is impossible to provide a place for growth and personal development when the problems of society are bombarded upon someone who is so easily influenced into bad decisions.
Next, funding. The warden is responsible for not only making sure that there is enough money flowing in to maintain the programs and overhead required for a smooth operation, but also for spending the money correctly. Unfortunately, most of us don't have a child like Andy Dufresne from "The Shawshank Redemption" who can cook the books to launder money through the prison. So, we have to scratch and pinch and make cuts as it is needed in order to provide the bare necessities.
The third step is basic human needs. Three hots and a cot, medical care, and occasional "yard time." Television is regulated. Good behavior over the course of their time may afford the inmate more responsibilities and more freedoms. Take the trash out, get an extra 15 minutes in the phone. Punishments must be swift but fair. Assault another inmate, get some time in "solitary". Extra duties may result in cash deposited into commissary (AKA allowance)
There are many more connections that could be made. But you get the picture....
The biggest task is just to make sure that when they leave your care after an 18 year stretch, they are as socially functional and well-behaved as possible.
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