Families Play an Important Role in the Future of a Child Essay

Susan Lieberman, a Ph.D. psychologist, once said, â€Å"Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world.† It is true, that families indeed play an important role in the future of a child. Families nurture a child, and mould him or her into who they become in the future. Families are the support and backing of a child, and how they are going to identify and pursue their dreams and largely depend on their family of origin. A child is shaped through beliefs and values that his or her family holds about the world and that are based on family member’s experiences. Without a family, a child would be relinquished of the chance to be guided and nurtured, and their future would be bleak and unclear. In today’s modern society, a child’s family moreover consists of their mother and father, and perhaps a sibling or two. A child’s parents are the ones supporting the family, leaving for work at first light, and only returning in the late evening. They are too kept up in the hectic working lifestyle, and ultimately are incapable of making time to spend with their children. The children, in turn, are unable to share with someone about their day’s activities, and lack the opportunity to be guided and taught the right values and behavior they should uphold and portray in their lives. This could be highly detrimental to a child, as they are not given a chance to experience a family’s love and warmth, and they will grow cold and distant. To illustrate this point, the child, as he or she grows older, may turn to their friends who may be a bad influence on them, or may turn to substances such as drinking, smoking or takings drugs, so as to fill that void of family in their hearts. Consequently, the child has already been guided away from the bright future they would have if it weren’t for his or her absent family. Their future would look bleak and hopeless. Conversely, a child who has experienced parental and family love would be able to uphold the proper values in life. They would be able to tell right from wrong, as they would have been guided and taught by their parents’ past experiences. Their beliefs and thinking can be reinforced and justified, and they will be put on the right path to pursue their future. As stressed in the quote above, families help a child define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world. The role families’ play in the future of a child is extremely crucial, as it is the deciding factor of what a child believes in and also their ability to tell apart right from wrong in our confusing world. Statistics show that children raised in families do better if their parents stay together than if they divorced. This highlights the importance of the role families play in the future of their child. If there is a divorce between a child’s parents, the child could be too distraught and traumatised by the separation and the feeling of having to accept that he or she would never have a proper family ever again. It can be severely detrimental to the child and he or she may not be able to focus properly on their studies, and can even withdraw from their social circle. With failing studies, the child will lose the chance to have a bright future, and may eventually get influenced by their surroundings to take substances in order to cope with their loss. Hence, this proves the importance of having a whole family. Only with a proper and loving family can a child prosper and grow into a beautiful person he or she is meant to be in the future. A child in a family should never be neglected. Without adult supervision and with the lack of care and concern showered upon a child, he or she may feel neglected and unloved, that his or her presence means nothing to their family, that they are unwanted. This could lead to the mental thought that they are unwanted, or in extreme cases, depression. This shows how important a role family plays in the future of a child. Family gives a sense of security to the child, that no matter what happens, their family will always be there to support them and nurture them. If such a feeling is stripped from them, they can be led astray from the right path. Families definitely play a big part in the upbringing and the future of a child. They lead the child down the right path, and are always watching over them, ready to correct their mistakes and teach them the correct values they should have. A family gives a child a sense of belonging and a sense of love toward each other.