Short Essay

Charley Batan English 9A, Period B Ms. Gilbert 6 June 2012 Unstable Homes Can Lead to Successful Adults ​ ​Children do not need a safe and secure home for them to grow up as a healthy, happy individual.  This is because if your parent smothers you, you will be unable to be prepared for the real life, secondly, with a unstable home kids become more street smart and this prepares them for life as an adult, and lastly because it makes the child more independent. ​Growing up in an unsheltered home does not lead the child to grow up as an unstable adult; it can get the child ready for the real world.  For parents to try their best to make their children get “as much opportunity and attention as possible, is turning out to be something of a disaster” (McGrath).  All that does for your children is it puts them under pressure and makes them too nervous to succeed.  Although parents think it is the best option to cradle their kids, it will not give them any experience of the real world.  Making the transition from innocence to experience is very important while growing up because it gives kids an idea of how it will be for them as they are older and not still living under their parents’ roof.  Some parents believe people worry too much about their children but all it does is “immunized your body and your soul, fussing over children who cry only encouraged them, that's positive reinforcement for negative behavior” (Walls 28).  Since many parents cave into their children once they start to cry, it demonstrates to them that you do not have to work for things in life.  This portrays that cradling your child will not help them grow up as a healthier individual it will teach them to grow up depending on other people.  Depending on other people is not going to help someone be ready for the real world because once they are out of the house they may not have anyone to rely on.   ​A safe and secure home is not necessary for a child to grow up as a successful individual because it can make them street smart.  When Jeanette’s parents rented a big U-Haul truck, only her parents could fit in the back so “[the kids] got to ride in the back, it would be fun, a real adventure . . . Suddenly, with a bang, [they] hit a huge pothole and the back doors on the U-Haul flew open” (Walls 48).  This does not show safe parenting but what it can do is help their children become street smart.  Although many people think kids would not be able to successfully grow up in a household like that, it is not true.  Experiencing situations like that help you become street smart because you do not want to be put in danger so you would have to be able to think fast and smart, sometimes like what happens in the real world as an adult. ​Unsafe and unsecure households can lead your child to become independent and an individual.  When Jeannette was in water and could not swim her dad told her to sink or swim, “the water filled [her] lungs, and [she] reached out to [her] dad, but he pulled back” (Walls 14).  Most parents in this situation would have quickly just helped their child not sink, but in this case Jeanette’s dad wanted her to be able to figure it out for her own.  This illustrates that having not the best parents will let you become an independent individual because it helps you learn things for yourself instead of relying on other people. ​Children do not need to have a safe living environment for them to grow up as a happy and healthy individual.  This is because babying your child will not help them in life, the world can be a scary place and as a parent you have to prepare your child for what is to come.  Also, having your child in a dangerous and unsecure household or family will only help them obtain street skills, which is important for becoming an adult.  In addition to that, it will help your child become much more independent which is also important because people cannot go through life depending on other people.