In this review, I will discuss an article “Only child – Lonely or selfish?” (2013) by Laudren Sandler. Because considering of the human impact on a fragile environment, limiting family size makes sense now more than ever, this article is an affirmation of what so many families see as a quite reasonable path. It’s also an interesting article for people as an only child and others’ perception of the only child. I shall agree with the author that the classic negative stereotypes of only children being spoiled rotten and selfish are usually untrue simply because of many different reasons and circumstances.
Within 950 words, the article is divided into thirteen paragraphs. The very two first paragraphs are the introduction part having a lead-in of the author’s own opinion and the main discussion of the article: the only children are not like the way that people usually thought about them. The body has ten paragraphs providing the theories on the mentioned above issue and the evidence as well. The last paragraph is the conclusion closing the article by a reaffirmation of her opinion.
In the articles, the author argues having siblings neither guarantees a "better" childhood nor does it automatically causes the children to be better-adjusted adults. Instead of presenting a more nuanced understanding of the individual differences in all people, it seems like Lauren Sandler is just trying to replace one set of stereotypes about only children with another, diametrically-opposite and "positive" ones. Each old stereotype she gave out is followed by strong and convincing evidence contrasting and bringing about the new different thought about the only child’s personality. By providing the evidence for the theories by the statistics and document ...
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...only child or not in society, but this topic is very interesting and attracts much concern of most people nowadays. While reading to have a deep understanding of this article, I also found some other research of the same topic that worth to read, for example: “Only children. Research says yes, society says no” by The Shake (2013), and “ Only child’s stereotypes: Fact vs Fiction” by Susan Newman.
The article, according to the author’s purpose, is rather subjective. She provided factual information based on some researches (but they are still in controversial issue) and her own experience. She is also good at focusing on the main topic and her perspective throughout the whole article. In general, this is a good article for people at all ages to have a proper opinion about the number of children one family should have and consider the way to bring up their own children.
Confessions of an Erstwhile Child is an essay which analyses the concept of the nuclear family. At first the author explains the ideas of Thomas More’s Utopia, but afterwards narrows his content by going into explaining his thoughts on children raised in dysfunctional families. He very cleverly shows the reader part family model’s with current ones, allowing his audience to make the decision for themselves. His tone is a logical philosophical. The reader is told of his depressing childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family, and how it had a profound effect upon his life. The author uses his own personal experience and knowledge to express his opinions on his topic, but really doesn’t use much inference to other cases or factual evidence to back up his argument. All and all, the author wrote an essay which would prove to be thought provoking and well organized.
The idea of this article is to help out all the single mothers that raise healthy and strong children. She fights against these stereotypes and studies that say that single mothers are bad and raise bad children. All families are different, which Roiphe explains too, and so many outside factors come into play when raising a bad child and a good child. These studies do not show those, and she sheds light onto them. She compares and contrasts the conservative and liberal views to divide the readers in which one they stand, so then they can understand her whole
“Children beginning life or early finding themselves without parents, sometimes with no one but themselves. They travel through life desperately in search of a ...
Cohn, M., & Ariyakulkan, L. (2008). The importance of the sibling relationship for children in
Archives are filled with articles focused on the outcomes of children raised in single parent homes versus children raised in the nuclear family setting. The subject is highlighted in mass volumes throughout various internet blog forums, newspaper articles, and popular magazines detailing the statistical data and reputed points of view on the outcomes of the subject. Countless bloggers provide substantial personal testimonies highlighting both ends in the debate, while giving readers an inside-look at this situation from all different walks of life. Developing this issue into a broader context, we as the readers have to consider the magnitude of the issue and ask ourselves, “In concern with the betterment of my family, which lifestyle could I possibly adopt to ensure that my children are adequately socialized and prepped for life outside the parental structure?” However, this is not a question that requires a prognosis from a prominent sociologist; in fact, children raised in single parent families are just as capable at success as children raised in the traditional family setting.
What is a family without a parent? A good parent has the image of a provider. Parent is the one that meets all the material needs of the household. The one who worries that nothing lacks to his/her children. Works double shifts and weekends. A good parent has not yet met the present needs, when others have been created; he/she wears out feverishly. But yet he/ she still have time to have the unique experience of seeing the children grow. Having children is a major life-course event no matter what country people live. Children alter how men and women live and how they can allocate their time. Money is required to support children, and there is also more to do in the households with children. Historically, women have done the extra work chil-dren create. Who engenders ch...
Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families, also known as a nuclear family are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by m...
Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by my father. I witnessed firsthand th...
Throughout history a one-parent household has been deemed as a nontraditional family, but in today’s society it seems more and more common with every day. Although the reason and causes vary, each year the number of children raised by a single parent increases. Most people don’t seem to realize how much this can change a child’s future. The impact of childhood experiences simply set the disposition of adulthood and the rest of their lives. There is not one sole factor that affects child development, but one very important one is the role and relationship created with one’s parents. How a child is parented and raised leaves a lasting impression on them, commonly for a lifetime. You can see how this might alter a child, being that one parent is missing. Child development based off of living in a one-parent household is very circumstantial because each child and each parent are different individuals. But one thing is for sure; all areas of child development can be affected due to a missing parent, including social, cognitive emotional, and physical areas. I sat down with Dr. Carlos Antoline, a children’s school psychologist to see what the real impact of growing up in a one-parent household has on child development.
It is never a child’s decision to only live with one parent. There are many ways that single-parent homes occur. Some of these ways include unplanned pregnancy, divorce, the decision to be a single parent by choice, and death of a spouse. In every case families are disputed greatly. Parents might experience depression, emotional problems etc…. but the child is affected the most. Single-parent families are commonly targeted for controversial issues. We must be careful that we don’t stereotype these when they’re very hard to take care of themselves and their children. We do however need to notice distinct patterns in children who give up in a single parent home and what problems they face. Even though a dual family is noted as the best environment for c...
The article continues to make a rather interesting point that defies the logic of those who believe they obtain such a fantastic instinct to parent. Parents would not have to tolerate the stress that preparing to have a child brings if the natural impulse is true. Having all the answers when it comes to children is not something that can spontaneously come about as soon as one hears the news that they are pregnant. Such knowledge must be learned, and it is the parent’s responsibility to make sure that they
Being a dad’s only daughter is by far one of the greatest things in this world I believe. In Sandra Cisneros essay “Only Daughter”, she tends to believe that living life, as the only daughter in her family may not be one of the greatest situations. Throughout her essay she describes how she feels in great depth from her personal point of view. As the only daughter in the family out of six brothers, Sandra knew she needed some motivation in her life. Being the only daughter in a family can have many affects on a person, including making them spend time alone, having high expectations, and holding a specific destiny in life.
Nonetheless, the study will still cover economic hardships since the two are closely related. The study will attempt to prove that single mothers are disadvantaged socially and economically. The study is segmented into two main sections; firstly, a background depicting researches in this field. Secondly, the study will present an argumentative literature attempting to clarify that single mothers do have a genuine problem not only economically, but as well socially in upbringing their children. To achieve this, the essay appoints Langston Hughes Poem ‘Mother to Son’ as a derivative reference point in developing this study. Research has traditionally focused in examining the emancipation of the female gender during their development. However, few researchers have intrinsically examined on the adult-life of single parents, more so in relation to women. The few efforts relating to this field like Williams (179) exemplifies that women suffer the greatest menace while trying support their single-parented families...
For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed as different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many yet over the decades it has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father. Does a child need both parents? Does a young boy need a father figure around? Does the government provide help for single parents? What role do step-parents and step-siblings play? With much speculation, this topic has become a very intriguing argument. What people must understand is that properly raising a child does not rely on the structure of a family but should be more focused on the process
Many people grow up with a sibling, in fact eighty percent of people in the United States and Europe grow up with a brother or sister (Dunn 1). Most people can agree with the statement that growing up with siblings has impacted their development and personality. This topic has been researched by psychologist and sociologist for decades; which has provided both positive and negative outcomes of growing up with siblings. Children can benefit from growing up with siblings because they can learn from their siblings, gain social skills, and their siblings may become a valuable asset in one’s life.