If that were the case there would be no hope in bringing up the next generation with any idea of boundaries, values, responsibility, respect and consequences.
It could never happen. Could it?
It is already happening at schools.
Worrying precedents are being set with parents lawyering up if the school takes actions against children that the parents do not agree with.
Last year the parents of Hawke's Bay student Lucas Battison won a High Court battle against St John's College after he was suspended for refusing to cut his hair.
Now this week a Christchurch school has been hauled into court after banning two boys from a rowing competition after they breached Auckland Airport security by riding on the Jetstar luggage carousel.
St Bede's College banned them from competing at the Maadi Cup regatta near Cambridge.
But the boys' parents were granted an urgent injunction by the High Court at Christchurch to allow their sons to row.
Despite the board of trustees unanimously supporting the school principal, the High Court judge considered that the punishment "might" be out of proportion to the misconduct and decided that, pending a full hearing, the pair should be allowed to compete.
Their parents had argued that their sons had put in so much training that they had hoped to trial to represent New Zealand, and their ban would weaken the entire crew.
It also emerged in court - reported the New Zealand Herald - that one of the boys was allegedly involved in an incident at the previous year's Maadi Cup which media reports at the time said involved boys dousing tennis balls in petrol and setting them alight.
Missing the rowing competition must seem unfair to these boys but one would think that if it was so important to them, they would be on their best behaviour.
In my view, there is no question that the boys needed to be punished, and the punishment dealt out seems reasonable.
The parents of the St Bede's boys signed up to the school's code of conduct.
While some may argue it was a simple boyish prank, tell that to the US authorities who recently put rocker Rod Stewart's son Sean in jail for a similar escapade. The UK's Daily Mail reported that Sean was arrested at Miami International Airport after he had hopped on the luggage carousel and rode through a restricted area. He was charged with unlawful entry into a restricted area and let out on bail after a night behind bars.
While the letter of the law may allow parents to dispute a school's disciplinary procedures, surely this should be limited to severe cases of injustice - a pupil being expelled unfairly, for example, and unable to access education. The court should not, in my view, be a playground for parents to argue the case for their children when they are dealt something that they do not agree with.
At the time of the St John's hair saga, parenting expert Nigel Latta waded in on Facebook, saying parents should respect the rules of schools.
"It's a very simple issue really. If we expect schools to look after our children then we need to support them and we need to make sure our children follow the school rules ... even the ones we may not necessarily like. If you decide to join the school then you sign up to their school rules. If you don't like the rules then go to another school."
In a prediction that has come true with the St Bede's controversy, Latta said that if the St John's legal action opened the door to kids or parents taking schools to court when they didn't like a school rule, then "we're all in trouble".
The more money and time schools have to spend lawyering up against parents, the less time and money is spent educating the children.
While the boyish immaturity of the St Bede's boys' japes is understandable, if they are to grow to be responsible adults then they need to accept the consequences of their actions.
The consequences of their parents' actions are something that may affect us all.
As a parent I am grateful for the role schools play in shaping children's behaviour and values.
Diluting their role in this is mad, bad and dangerous. I am with Nigel Latta on this.
"Teachers should be in classrooms, not court rooms."
