parent

Parents are caregivers of children, responsible for the health, safety, education, and well-being of each child within their care. Dependent upon culture and circumstances the parent may or may not be biologically related to the children in question.
While not usually formally classified as a profession, the role is nonetheless typically accepted as time consuming but necessary. The level of support available to fulfill the role depends highly upon planetary and factional beliefs.

Perception

Social Status

While parents are a necessary part of providing the next generation of any planet, the perceived value of parenthood depends largely upon the cultures of a parent's society and Faction.

Sparnell Confederation

Within the Confederation, it is not uncommon for Families to step in and handle parenting responsibilities, often by designating members of the Family to train children in the expectations and roles they will be expected to fulfill, in order to best further the Family's prestige. This allows the Family to ensure new members are uniformly trained in their mission, while freeing up their biological parents for the own tasks in pursuit of those same goals.

Hydell Order

The Hydell Order considers parenting a sacrifice required in order to continue one's legacy in service to the Ascended Conclave and the Natural Order. They acknowledge the time intensive nature of the responsibilities, advising future parents to choose in advance who will be seeking worthiness outside the home and who will build their legacy through their children.
Those who prove unable or unwilling to raise their children are often removed from consideration for the Ordained Ascended, although exceptions are made for extenuating circumstances.

Space Defense Legion

The SDL values the time and effort required for successful parenting, and has successfully implemented infrastructure to support the needs of families. While the specifics vary depending upon the planet and the needs of its people, some features remain consistent.
Education, including both breakfast and lunch, are provided free for all school age children, as well as those who have proven themselves capable of higher levels of study. Medical care is provided for all family members, as provisioned by local and planetary governments, within guidelines mandated by Legion leadership. An assortment of childcare options are available, from full time care to occasional opportunities when a parent or guardian requires personal or professional time.
If additional assistance is required, parents are also welcome to file for that assistance from a variety of local, planetary, and factionwide opportunities.

Vardan

The Kin believe that children are the future, and family units within the Clan are supported and valued in their needs as their children grow and learn to benefit the Clan. Parent is more than a biological title, extending to every adult within the marriage, which may be quite large depending upon the age and stability of the marriage.
Other Clan Kin make themselves available for childcare when the immediate marriage unit is unable, often due to their roles in support of the Clan. Self-care is also considered critical for the well-being of the Clan, since the Clan is only at its best when all its members are at their best, and so time to care for one's self is seen as a basic health need.

Mordena

The moneyless society of the Jannadael allows them to consider professions by the labor involved and their benefit to the community, rather than their direct monetary output. As a result, the role of parent is classified as a full time job, and treated accordingly.
Parents are held in the highest regard, and other members of the community will often step in to assist with breaks as needed. Their treatment of parents was heavily influenced by the Ferrik Clan of the Vardan, after Shane Lawrence's travel within their caravan in the early years of the Mordena, and augmented by the beliefs and customs of those immigrating to Janikk.

Freeholds

The treatment of parents among Freeholder varies from planet to planet, just as it does from faction to faction. Some fully support their parents, valuing their contributions toward the future of their planet and providing them with all the assistance required to raise safe, healthy children while maintaining their own mental health. Others take them for granted, training their citizens that parenthood is merely one of their required duties, and that those unable to fulfill this responsibility are inferior and should not have had children in the future place. Most fall somewhere in the middle.

Related Locations

• Janikk

Ethnicities

Freeholder

Jannadael

Kin

Legionnaire

Sparnelli

True Descendants

Further Reading