Just the opposite in the Justice system. The system pursues minor infractions because a legal defense is so expensive and will probably not be pursued. There is much forgiveness. Parents have great leeway in their punishments. There is usually no physical punishment or extended periods of confinement.
Children have control over their own upbringing.
Let us face it, in many homes today, the children really run the show. To be fair, with all the social pressures that come from the external environment that the child is in, the parent really has few options about how the child should be raised. This is definitely not be true in the adult environment. Congress and the judiciary totally decide the laws we live by with little input from the population. Note for example the several laws the public has voted for in California, only to be disallowed by the political power structure.