Terence Yap

Erosion of the family unit has a lot to do with the demands of society. A husband used to be able to go out and work to financially support his family while his wife looked after the family’s other needs. Today’s high cost of living dictates that the both of them work in order to make ends meet.

This is, in my opinion, the root of all problems. But before I am branded an MCP, please allow me to elaborate a bit on what I have just said.

The Family Structure

A man, in his role as the sole bread winner of his family, isn’t the king or totalitarian didctator of the household. He should be the protector of his family and lead his children by example.

A woman who elects to stay at home to cater to the needs of her family is just as important as the man. In my opinion, her role is more demanding than that of the man because she never has the option to say, “I quit”.

Time Constraints

Sadly, the cost of living these days requires both spouses to work and someone has to look after the children when both parents are off to work. Often time, this job is left to the grandparents. Where this isn’t possible, a domestic helper has to be employed.

Thus, the joy of having children can only be experienced at the end of each working day and during the weekends: a mere few hours each day for the larger part of the week.

With the demands of work the way they are these days, how much of the weekend is left whenever working weekends come along? Is there enough time to bond? What happens to children when they spend less time with their parents and more time with others?

The Value of Family Ties

Money is important when it comes to paying the bills. But is money the panacea to a family’s problems? Does it instill in children the importance of family values that money can’t buy? Does it bring a family closer together?

For the past three decades,  a growing number of couples are opting to go out and work. While two incomes mean that they can afford to leave their children in the care of a foreign domestic worker, the question arises,”Will the children be properly guided and supervised?”

Can anyone be a substitute for a father or a mother?

The majority of young adults and teenagers do not appear to have close ties with their parents. After having spent more time with domestic helpers than their own parents during the formative years of their lives, can these youngsters be blamed for a lack of closeness with their parents?

Governments Can Help Families

The future of any country depends on its children. Any assistance that a family unit is given shall go a long way in safeguarding the nationalistic, cultural and ethnic roots of future generations.

Governments have the resources to invest in the future of their respective countries.

Can you imagine if a child grows up having a foreign language as his mother tongue and relates more to a foreign country rather than his own?

The quality of a country’s citizenry determines its success. People are a vital resource that should never be ignored. I believe that more should be done to prevent the erosion of the family unit.

This entry was posted on 1 July, 2009 at 3:08 pm and is filed under Family. Tagged: erosion, Family, unit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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