It’s the law!
France
In France, a group called the Parliament makes the laws.
Each family has rules. Parents make them. Brothers and sisters sometimes
get a chance to decide what the rules will be. Once the rules are made,
the children are expected to obey them.
Of course, nobody is arrested for breaking a family rule. There are
other punishments—doing extra work around the house, or not being able
to go out and play, or even a spanking. Sometimes, if a child has a very
good excuse, there may not be any punishment.
All families belong to one or more bigger “families.” This may be a
tribe, a town, a city, a state, a nation.
Each of these has rules that are called laws. There is no excuse for
breaking any of these laws. All law breakers are punished.
Who makes these laws?
A tribe has a chief and a council to make tribal laws. In some towns,
the people meet to make the laws. All the grown-ups have a chance to
take part.
Great numbers of people live in cities, states, and nations. There are
too many people to meet together in one place to make the laws. So they
elect a few people to meet and make the laws for them.
After the laws are passed, the police and the courts see to it that
everyone obeys the laws.
