Family responsibilities

FAMILIY LIFE IN BRITAIN

The condition of the British family is a frequent topic throughout Britain today. A typical British family used to consist of mother, father and two children. But in recent years there have been many changes in family life. Some of them have been caused by new laws, others are the result of social changes. For instance, as the law made it easier to get a divorce, the number of divorces has increased. In fact one marriage in every three ends in divorce, which gives rise to a lot of one-parent families. Society is now more tolerant of unmarried people, unmarried couples and single parents than it used to be some years ago. The majority of divorced people marry again and sometimes take responsibility for second family.

Close relatives and members of a family group – grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins – keep in touch, but they see less of each other than they used to. This is because people often move away from their home town to work, and so the family becomes scattered. The traditional season for the family reunion is Christmas when relatives travel many miles in order to spend it together.

In general, each generation is eager to become independent of parents in establishing its own family unit, and this fact can bring about social as well as geographical differences within the larger family group.

Another change in family life style to be mentioned has been caused by the fact that people are living longer nowadays, and many old people live alone following the death of their partners. There are about 10 million old-age pensioners in Britain, of whom about 8 % cannot live entirely independently. Nowadays more than half of all old people are looked after at home. Many others live in Old People’s Homes, which may be private or state owned.

Relationships within the family undergo certain changes. Parents treat their children more as equals than they used to, and children have more freedom to make their own decisions. The father is more involved in the process of bringing up children, mainly because the mother goes out to work. Due to increased leisure facilities and more money modern life provides wider opportunities for the individual to take part in activities outside the home. Although the family holiday, which is usually taken in August, and often abroad, is still an important part of family life. Many children have holiday away from home, often with school or college friends or other organized groups.

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FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES

Most parents want their children to share household tasks such as cleaning, meal preparation, or washing up. There are many advantages to having children help with household tasks. Children learn about their role in the family and the importance of helping others. They can see the results of what happens when they do not follow through with their responsibilities. As children become older, they can take on new responsibilities that help them develop a sense of independence and self-reliance.

An important benefit of children helping with household responsibilities is that it teaches them the skills they will need when they have an apartment or house of their own. If children are given the responsibility for washing the laundry and cleaning the bathroom as they are growing up, they will know how to do these tasks when on their own.

Although there are many advantages to children helping with family responsibilities, it is often difficult to get cooperative, cheerful help from reluctant children. Communication among all family members is the key to the success of having children help with household tasks. Involve the child in the decision making process. Rather than telling them what they should do, ask them what they would be willing to do. Another option would be to provide them with a list of tasks that need to be completed and have them pick out what they would like to do. Short, once-a-week family meetings are extremely helpful.

Children have a tremendous need for fairness. If mom, dad or siblings are not helping around the house, it will be difficult to convince the child that they need to be responsible for certain tasks. You can make household responsibilities easier by setting rules for shared spaces of the home. For example, all papers in the living room need to be picked up by bedtime or they will be tossed out. Then, make sure you follow through on the consequences set.

Avoid blaming and labeling. Try humorous or creative ways to remind children of their responsibilities. For example rather than telling your child he/she is lazy for not picking up clothing left on the floor, ask if clothing is being left for the invisible maid. Remember children are still learning about household responsibilities. Offer praise, thanks, and encouragement…even if the meal your child prepared was a little different than what is normally prepared.

Finally, don’t force the issue. If the child refuses to fulfill their responsibilities, calmly explain that there will be no friends over, car available, or computer usage until after the work is done. Again, following through on the consequences is key.

It is safe to say that children’ household activities and responsibilities help them to explore the general world of work, develop helping behaviors, and grow toward independence. Involving children in household tasks provides families an opportunity for communication, problem solving, role modeling, discussion of gender roles, and potential reduction of family stress.

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Дата добавления: 2015-10-29