ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Bonus pater familias

Okay kiddo, let's talk about a Latin phrase that means "good father of the family" - Bonus Pater Familias.

Imagine you’re part of a family, you have a mom, dad, grandparents and siblings. Now, imagine your dad is a very responsible person. He makes sure everyone in the family is safe, has enough to eat, and always tries to make good choices. He works hard to make sure the family's needs are met, right? That's what we call a "bonus pater familias" or a good father of the family.

Now, you might be thinking, what's so special about this phrase? Well, it's actually used in law and it helps judges decide who is responsible and who is not in different situations. For example, imagine you're playing with your friends and you accidentally break something very expensive that belongs to someone else. If you have been acting like a bonus pater familias, which means being careful and responsible, then the judge might be more likely to find that you didn't mean to break the thing and that it was just an accident. But if you haven't been acting like a bonus pater familias, then the judge might think you were being careless and you might have to take responsibility for what happened.

So, bonus pater familias is a fancy way of saying that you need to be responsible, careful and think about the people around you. It's not just about being a good father, but being a good member of a family, community, or society.