While the lives of poorer children are at harm because of societal inequalities, so too are others, even individuals and families that are more well-off. The care and guidance of children is often thought of as a private affair – only affecting the families they are a part of. The assumption behind this perception is that individuals have children for their own personal reasons and benefit. Because neither the public nor the state play a role in this decision, children and their raising should be the sole responsibility of their parents. It is commonly thought that other people’s’ children have little effect on the lives of others and are therefore unimportant to society as a whole (Shelby 164-167). This misconception is a large contributor to the deterioration of society as a whole, not just poor families, because children have public consequences, regardless of how or where they are brought up. Children are the future workforce of America and are key elements in the material production of society. Similarly, the work of the young benefits the old, just as the work of adults benefit children. Children raised properly are also more likely to be law-abiding citizens. Similarly, because one’s natural ability is not a result of how a child is raised, working to raise all children to the best of society’s ability allows more capable workers to enter the workforce. Although the reasons behind procreation are often not based on the presumption that it will be to the betterment of society, the outcomes usually are. “Children, once they become adults, benefit everyone in society,” but conversely, people’s tendency to act in their own self-interest and view children as a private concern negatively impacts poorer families as well as all of society (Shelby 167).