Families are as strong as they used to be
Over time, there have been transformations taking place within the family unit, affecting the way that members interact and relate with each other. Contrary to what some people choose to believe, family ties have weakened, and the gap within family members has widened with time. Due to factors such as advanced technology, demanding work life and modern schooling, family members have become more out of touch with each other. Some people may argue that advanced technology has helped bring families closer. In my opinion, families are not as strong as they used to be, the three main reasons being; children attending schools that are far away from home, parents spending too much time working, and frequent use of media.
One of the leading causes of the weakened relation between family members is boarding schooling. Boarding schooling and students going to studying abroad are prevalent practices nowadays. When children go to boarding schools, especially at an early age, they become separated from their parents, the only people who genuinely love them. They then develop certain behaviours as they grow up in boarding school such as depression, emotional numbness, and difficulty in forming relationships. (1) Children become more distant with their parents and find it hard to confide in them, unlike in the past, when children would interact freely and openly with their parents even onto their adult lives.
Too much indulgence of parents with work has also affected the family unit. Parents have become so attached with their careers, that despite being physically present, they get digitally distracted and psychologically unavailable to their children. (2) Most parents regard the amount of time they spend working, rather than viewing their work as a source of challenge, creativity, and enjoyment, and this harms their children’s emotional health since parents end up spending too much time working. (2) In the past, however, parents believed that family should come first, and they spent quality time with their families, leading to positive emotional and behavioural growth of children making the family close-knit.
Media has also profoundly affected the relationships within a family unit. Today, every individual in a family unit has ease and frequent access to just about everything by way of media. Through video gaming and social media scrolling, children can isolate, escape, and separate themselves from everyone else. Despite the impoverished relationships that are brought about by this, it could also lead to depression. Today, there’s the presence of media even during family mealtimes, unlike in the past when family mealtimes would be for engaging in healthy conversations that consequently lead to forming strong, healthy relationships within the family unit. (3) Media has a harmful effect in the wellbeing of the family unit.
In conclusion, family ties have weakened with time due to factors such as children studying far away from their families, parents getting too distracted with their careers, and the distraction brought about by media. Unless the entire family unit recognizes these destructive effects and puts in place measures to restore the spending of quality family time together, the interaction within the family will keep on deteriorating. Every member of the family should work towards making the family a haven, and a place of intimacy, love and trust.