“You’re allowed to stay up past nine o’clock on a school night? Whoa! I have to go to bed at eight.”
“Wow, your parents are really strict!”
How many times have you compared your family to your friends’ families? Sometimes your family does things in the same way as other families. Other times, your family is very different – for better or for worse.
Nations, or countries, are a lot like families. They have their own governments and laws. Their leaders may rule in very different ways. Some governments are a lot like the U.S. Other nations have a single ruler who makes all laws. That ruler may decide when a law has been broken or how someone should be punished. Then there are nations that fall somewhere between these two examples. A nation’s leader may be chosen in different ways, as well.
