The Importance of Preserving Traditional Family Values to Improve American Culture

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We live in a culture where we fear each other, hate each other, and even kill each other. How bad do things in our culture have to get before we stop and look at what brought us to this place? I believe that a key part of the answer to that question lies in the family. Although I know there are many good single parents in our culture I want to draw focus to the traditional family as I write this. If we look up the definition of the traditional family we find that it is a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children. Since time began this was how the family was meant to be. A mother and father jointly raising their offspring with their values and beliefs so that those offspring would then continue to improve their culture. Somewhere along the way the family unit has diminished and we are stuck with the consequences. If we look at what the family has to offer we can see that it plays a big part in our culture and how it can change it. Family is relevant in today's culture because it helps to decrease crime, can offer the support we need to succeed, and can help prevent suicide and emotional turmoil within our children. The crime rate in America seems to be growing as the American family disintegrates. If we look at the past and present we can see that each year our crimes have become caustic and incessant. The alarming part is that crimes are being committed by the younger generation. Francine Hallcom, a professor at California State University did a long-term study of street gangs. She explains that “...at this crucial point, somewhere between grades 6, 7, and 8—between childhood and adulthood—many grow weary of the harsh living conditions that surround them, of never having any spendable cash on hand, ... ... middle of paper ... ...etter. In conclusion, if we want our culture to improve we need to get back to the basics of the traditional family and values. Works Cited Hallcom, Francine. "Gang Membership Can Fulfill Many Adolescent Needs." Contemporary Issues Companion: Gangs. Ed. J.D. Lloyd. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 13 July 2010 Moon, Susan. “Sons and Mothers.” Writing on the River: An Anthology for Composition I. Second Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. 312-316. Print. Whitehead, Barbara Dafoe. “Where Have All the Parents Gone?” Writing on the River: An Anthology for Composition I. Second Ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. 317-323. Print. Zinsmeister, Karl. "Divorce Harms Children." Current Controversies: Marriage and Divorce. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff and Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web.

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