Are the Kids Truly All Right? by by Liz and Diana Welch

"The family I strained to hear no longer existed" (Welch 196). This quote is said by Liz Welch; she lost both of her parents at the age of sixteen (Welch 168). Many people lose one or both parents at a young age. In fact, "one in nine Americans lost a parent before they were 20 years old" (Zaslow 1). Losing one parent usually causes a person to have detrimental effects, so losing both parents will most likely ruin a person's health. Even though the Welch children, in the memoir The Kids Are All Right by Liz and Diana Welch, have grown up and appear well, growing up without parents can have negative effects on a person because the cultural impact of the book details the negative outcomes and the historical information and professional reviews provides a context for it.

The historical information provides a background for the cultural impact. Dealing with loss is a part of the information. It is a hard thing to do, and the Welch children had to do that in their memoir. When dealing with loss, children need a stable environment because they might think what they have done caused the death ("When" 1). Children can be easily swayed, so they might formulate their own theory as to how their loved one died. Consequently, they might think of it to be their own fault; they have no one else to give the blame, so they drop it on themselves. Also, "children need help to cope with their grief when a parent dies" ("When" 1). Kids need someone to talk to about their loss. The person should have an understanding of children. Another part of this information is family. Family is necessary. Not just for the reproduction of mankind, but also for the physiological growth it develops (Lasch-Quinn 1). Being a part of today's family is more about providi...

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