Modern social structure is a product of the dynamics of change that have been taking place for centuries. The family structure you describe is probably the strongest that has ever been. But circumstances of our time mean that most families are not able to live that traditional way. It worked so well for many of us. We think it is the norm. However, over the broad history of time, it may be the exception. There are a number factors here.
1. We live in a time where people are viewed as utilities of institutional purpose. The concept of "career" may well be a euphemism for a form of consumerist indentured servitude. We work to provide the material wealth to live a full life of the consumerist ideal.
2. If people are utilities, children are especially. We see them as vulnerable and moldable because they are. Antonio Gramsci, Italian Marxist, wrote, 'In the life of children there are two very clear-cut phases, before and after puberty. Before puberty the child's personality has not yet formed and it is easier to guide its life and make it acquire specific habits of order, discipline, and work: after puberty the personality develops impetuously and all extraneous intervention becomes odious, tyrannical, insufferable. Now it so happens that parents feel the responsibility towards their children precisely during this second period, when it is too late: then of course the stick and violence enter the scene and yield very few results indeed. Why not instead take an interest in the child during the first period?" No wonder schools are the battleground for politics.
3. Speaking as a pastor, I would say that God's call upon a person's life points to the fulfillment of their potential (Ephesians 2:10), and not to the fulfillment of a social role. The missing element is community. How does a community, whether a family, a community of faith, or a town, fulfill their potential for creating a structure for social life that elevates each person to fulfill their purpose. This is just my view. But having both served in churches and in secular organizations, I believe that we have much to learn about what is best for our world. It starts with a conversation like what I am finding in the comments.
Modern social structure is a product of the dynamics of change that have been taking place for centuries. The family structure you describe is probably the strongest that has ever been. But circumstances of our time mean that most families are not able to live that traditional way. It worked so well for many of us. We think it is the norm. However, over the broad history of time, it may be the exception. There are a number factors here.
1. We live in a time where people are viewed as utilities of institutional purpose. The concept of "career" may well be a euphemism for a form of consumerist indentured servitude. We work to provide the material wealth to live a full life of the consumerist ideal.
2. If people are utilities, children are especially. We see them as vulnerable and moldable because they are. Antonio Gramsci, Italian Marxist, wrote, 'In the life of children there are two very clear-cut phases, before and after puberty. Before puberty the child's personality has not yet formed and it is easier to guide its life and make it acquire specific habits of order, discipline, and work: after puberty the personality develops impetuously and all extraneous intervention becomes odious, tyrannical, insufferable. Now it so happens that parents feel the responsibility towards their children precisely during this second period, when it is too late: then of course the stick and violence enter the scene and yield very few results indeed. Why not instead take an interest in the child during the first period?" No wonder schools are the battleground for politics.
3. It is important to understand the transition that our world has gone through philosophically. Most people don't think across philosophical eras, but this is precisely what we have been witnessing. Check this post out - https://edbrenegar.substack.com/p/transcendence-immanence-and-materiality and then this one that followed - https://edbrenegar.substack.com/p/the-man-in-the-mirror.
3. Speaking as a pastor, I would say that God's call upon a person's life points to the fulfillment of their potential (Ephesians 2:10), and not to the fulfillment of a social role. The missing element is community. How does a community, whether a family, a community of faith, or a town, fulfill their potential for creating a structure for social life that elevates each person to fulfill their purpose. This is just my view. But having both served in churches and in secular organizations, I believe that we have much to learn about what is best for our world. It starts with a conversation like what I am finding in the comments.