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Should children be encouraged to write regularly to relatives?
Results so far:
| Yes | 78% | 256 votes | Total: 329 votes | |
| No | 22% | 73 votes |
Yes
by Ganelle Davis
Created on: December 24, 2011 Last Updated: January 25, 2012
Fostering a good relationship with relatives may be attained by children by encouraging them to write regularly to their relatives. Communication is important in maintaining close family ties that bind. A distant relative may not seem so distant if a child writes to that relative on a regular basis. A letter is a keepsake from the children in their family that many relatives cherish for a life time.
Parents should encourage their children to write to their grandparents, aunts and uncles. Every relationship is fragile, when time and distance distinguish the fragile lines of communication. Letter writing keeps the family members informed of mile stones and accomplishments. It's unfair for a child to expect a birthday gift or a Christmas present, if a relationship hasn't been established by writing regularly to their grandparents or aunts and uncles.
Over time, this activity will be seen as enjoyable by the child and not a forced issue. The child will have the expectation of receiving letters from their relatives in the mail. Soon they will be checking the mail box each day, with baited breath for that communique.
Children should be introduced to letter writing or use of a computer as a form of communicating with their relatives at an early age, so that they might get in the habit of checking on the well being of their family members and show them genuine care and concern in their letters.
It may be true that letter writing is a lost art, especially with technology being so popular with the younger generation and making snail mail obsolete. The art of writing a letter is to convey and express ideas and concerns. Surely,a family member is a recipient that would welcome a letter from any child in their family. How often do you hear from a relative, "My, where did all the time go"? Letters may shorten that time span.
Each spring, my aunt would look forward to reading a letter about my summer plans to visit her in the summer and news of my good grades during the school year. My letters would inform her of everything that was important to an eight year old girl. Those letters kept her aware of what was gong on in my life and we picked up each summer without missing a beat of those nine months that separated us.
My aunt knew the name of my very best friend. My birthday was in the summer months and of course she was aware of the date. She knew my favorite color, favorite food and of course I believed that I was her favorite niece. We shared so much in those letters. Even today, long after my auntie has passed away. Those letters remain a fond and cherished memory for me. I'm certain they were for her also. My auntie never had any children of her own and since my mother had died when I was only three, it seemed we shared a very special closeness.
Encouraging a child to write may cure loneliness, boredom and may also improve their writing skills. Letter writing is a win-win situation for everyone involved. A child might be encouraged to write at least once year. Perhaps writing in a greeting card or a birthday card might be a fruitful beginning to writing to relatives on a regular basis.
Learn more about this author, Ganelle Davis.
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No
by Freyda Tartak
Created on: October 13, 2009
Children should be encourage to write regularly. Whom they write to should be dictated by whom they wish to communicate with in that format. In the past, it would have been far more relevant to specify the means of communication. But, in today's world it is a bit of an antiquated notion.
Etiquette has evolved, or devolved, in many areas. It's sad, and also a bit dehumanizing but, also the new norm. Where it used to be polite to wait until everybody was seated before commencing the meal, today nobody thinks twice about diving it as soon as the grub is on the table. Where it used to be polite to visit the sick and elderly in the community, now it is considered an invasion of privacy. Where it used to be polite to send hand written thank you notes for gifts and kindness, now a verbal thank you is considered sufficient.
Perhaps the saddest thing of all is that trying to reinforce social graces has fallen into the "no good deed goes unpunished" dust bin. There is not enough support for the effort so the lessons fall on deaf ears. Even if they are put into practice, they are not appreciated. When it comes to children, if the payoff is not immediate and positive, it is very difficult to instill a love for the work behind it.
Forcing kids to do thankless tasks only encourages them to push back and resist. While it is important to teach kids that they should stay in touch with family, there are many ways to do this. If the child wants to do it through writing, then by all means have them do it in writing. However, if this is not their thing pushing writing over other methods will mean that they aren't writing and they aren't communicating, at all.
Writing is cathartic, liberating, self-indulging, and deeply personal. Just as with reading, children needs to be gently guided in the direction of literacy not forced to associate it with any sort of obligation. Along the same tone, keeping in touch with family is staying in touch with the people that are the most integral part of our personal network of contacts. That sounds pretty clinical but, the point is that people are social animals and depend on those that have their best interests at heart. Family usually fits that bill. This should not be hampered by a childs desire to choose a different medium over writing.
Learn more about this author, Freyda Tartak.
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