Importance of Family Life

Importance of Family Life

Euripides, a famous Greek playwright once wrote, “One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.” This quote is extremely prevalent in the unit of socialization. Throughout this unit, three films were used to exemplify the importance of a solid home foundation and the effects of what happens if a child is deprived of this. In one of the films Stand by Me which was originally written by Stephen King, offers an in depth perspective of childhood life and the importance of friendship. All of the boys in the film have home issues, yet the bond they share with each other is one that surpasses most relationships. Throughout the film they are united in discussing their family problems and in turn are only brought closer together. In the other film 13, family plays an important role as well. It follows four completely different girls in various societies and exemplifies the importance of a solid home life. The last documentary follows the lives of teenage boys struggling with parental problems such as divorce. It offers an insight into the modern American culture and how there is almost a 50% divorce rate in the United States. Socialization is the way in which humans learn values and norms in their particular culture. No matter what culture someone belongs in, socialization is critical to their life and the formation of opinions and morals. The amount of impact in which adults have on the way children learn values and norms is extraordinary, this is exemplified through the films and textual evidence.

Out of everyone a child interacts with through their life, the most influential is without a doubt their parents. They set the ground rules for everything, nurture and care for the child from the day they were born. Parents have the ability to mold their children in whichever way they choose. Through the films and readings in class, this has become evident, and exemplifies the importance of good parenting. The impact of childhood on socialization is astonishing. Adolescents pick up a vast majority of their norms and customs through their parents which in turn has a direct effect on their socialization. Throughout the film Stand by me the boys teach themselves norms and customs which their parents wouldn’t have. For instance, in the scene where Ace Merrill pulls his knife on Chris Chambers, everyone backs off in fear, but Gordie returns with a pistol, threatening Ace. Although this shouldn’t be condoned, it exemplifies the bond in which these four boys had with each other and the extent in which they would honor that. For many, childhood offers the chance to learn by mistake, but one thing is certain parenting has a large effect on a child’s values and norms.

Childhood is constantly changing, sometimes for good and sometimes for worse. Parenting styles directly effect this change and as generations progress, the changes become evident. The film, Stand by me was set in the summer of 1959 and the parenting styles between then and modern day America are blatant. For instance, if Teddy Duchamp’s father had ever assaulted him in modern day America, Teddy would have been rushed to child services, most likely never seeing his father again. It wouldn’t matter