Intact families help keep our kids safe from predators

As parents, we are vigilant about our children’s proximity to danger as we presume the worst must always come from outside our homes.

We believe predators can only reach as far as our doorsteps because we would never knowingly let a wolf into our henhouse.

But the deterioration of the nuclear family and marriage in America has created a major vulnerability for our children.

The wolves of the world exploit our familial disconnection by providing an illusion of a loving relationship to gain access beyond our doorsteps.

One of these wolves, 28-year-old Tyresse Minter, allegedly devoured the life of his stepson, 15-year-old Corde Scott, after a suspected argument in their Westchester Square apartment in The Bronx.

Minter, who was released from prison on parole just a month before Scott’s death, allegedly put his stepson in a chokehold, cutting off his oxygen supply, and proceeded to wrap his legs around Scott while holding his neck until he lost consciousness.

Despite the heinous nature of the child’s strangulation, Judge Naita Semaj released Minter immediately after his arraignment Wednesday, though he was on parole for a felony-assault conviction.

After The Post put Scott on its Thursday cover, Gov. Kathy Hochul stepped in.

“My top priority is public safety. Earlier today, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision issued a warrant for Tyresse Minter, and he is now in custody,” Hochul said Thursday.

“DOCCS is initiating the parole revocation process due to his indictment for criminal negligent homicide and manslaughter.”

We’ve neglected to understand how our children’s proximity to danger coincides with the solidity of our family structure — it’s the most important risk factor for child abuse.

The American perspective of family has been tainted by the selfishness of whatever benefits the adults at a given moment rather than what can benefit our children for a lifetime.

We tell each other our children are resilient and adaptable to rationalize choosing familial dysfunction through divorce to chase potential romance instead of chasing our children’s needs.

Though we are adults, we often act like whimsical children, pursuing our sexual desires and never questioning if the quality of our sexual partners is on par with the quality of parental figures our children need.

Our children are the ones who suffer from our choices the most, as their primary advocates for safety and prosperity have unintentionally become the ones who relocate that danger directly into their homes.

The statistics are clear: Children are 40 times as likely to be sexually or physically abused if their parent finds a new partner than if they live with their biological parents.

And even more tragic, they are nearly 50 times more likely to die of inflicted injuries living in a home with unrelated adults than children who live with their biological parents.

Children living without either parent (foster children) are 10 times more likely to be sexually abused than children living with both biological parents.

Kids who live with a single parent who has a live-in partner are at the highest risk: They’re 20 times more likely to be sexual-abuse victims than children living with both biological parents.

The American nuclear family is rapidly decaying, and opportunistic vultures have long been circling our children patiently waiting to feast on their innocence.

The list of children who have been murdered by their parent’s partners is disturbingly long.

Eight-year old Sophia Mason of Merced, Calif., was allegedly murdered by her mother’s boyfriend; police found her lifeless body battered from long-term abuse and malnourishment in a bathtub.

Houston 5-year-old Samuel Olson was allegedly murdered by his father’s girlfriend; his body was found in a black tote with a lid secured by zip ties.

We had a hand in the downfall as nearly a quarter of America’s children are growing up in single-parent homes — the most in the world.

But if we have the power to destroy, we have the power to rebuild.

The reconstruction of our homes will only help to save a child like Corde Scott from becoming another tragic victim and statistic.

If we’re going to make America great again, it has to start from within our own homes.

Adam B. Coleman is the author of “Black Victim to Black Victor” and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing. Follow him on Substack: adambcoleman.substack.com.