by Janine Culotta

Created on: July 07, 2009   Last Updated: July 08, 2009

Having an cohesive nuclear family is more important than ever in these uncertain socio/economic times.Having two parents in the home is most advantageous to the children, conceptually speaking. The family provides the foundation and security necessary for the child to develop well-roundedness and necessary social skills. When a parent is absent, a void will exist that lasts a lifetime. Even when a parent is emotionally unavailable, a child can suffer. Multiple family members give children real-time experience in regard to human relationships. They learn different ways of relating through a natural give and take.Mothers, Fathers and sibling offer love and care at the appropriate times to ensure the child gets the emotional food to progress to the next level of development.

Even when times get difficult,as they do, children are able to learn conflict resolution.When families disagree,debate, or even argue, this can be an opportunity for growth and learning. Children learn to cope through stormy weather and navigate through the tough times.Families need to recognize that staying intact and working though challenges is much better in the long run, than disbanding and going separate ways. When this unfortunate scenario happens it is devastating to the children's well-being.Even after a divorce kids get the short end of the stick. When parents separate the children,not only loose a father, the mother often gets torn away do to having to work and finding a new partner. When parents remarry, the original children become the step-child. This can be devastating to a child's development. They no longer enjoy the same status ,in the hierarchy, and new children become the focal point. In addition, if the mother chose not to remarry, the child can often become the re-placement parent.

The most important ingredient for happy kids is a family. When and if one of the family members becomes ill, everyone must pitch in and help. Values will be instilled to children, when they are part of a team, where the mother and father make a point of displaying good values and morals. Without those necessary life lessons children will find other methods to deal with crisis and that can ultimately be very destructive to a child's well-being.

The intent of the author is not to devalue circumstances beyond the traditional nucleus family. However, experts will agree, that the kids thrive in a home where two traditional parents work together for the benefit to the children. The role of the family must be upheld in this culture of divorce so that we as parents don't mistakenly gift our children with heartbreak rather than integrity.

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