Participants discussed changes the family has been experiencing during the last two decades during which time the family has become an ideological battleground. The speakers said conservatives and liberals have polarized the family causing political paralysis and distortion. Too many families break up, but just as important, too many fail to form in the first place. Dr. Brazelton asked, “Why are we (Americans) so insensitive?  We are the least oriented to children and families of any civilized nation in the world.” The main focus was the effect of public policy on the family. The questions they addressed included: Do American policies hurt or help parents raise and nurture children and provide for their moral education?  How are families adapting to new realities?  What is the private sector’s responsibility in working with parents?  Does it hurt children when both parents work?  What is the effect on children of divorce, poverty and poor health care?  The participants discussed how helping children is inseparable from strengthening the environment for parents and families.