Child Shift
The article entitled “Children Caught in the Crossfire” explores the effects of proper and dysfunctional parenting on Caribbean children. This article identifies dysfunctional homes that foster improper parenting and the impact of psychological and physical absence of parents on their children. It also assesses the consequences of “child shifting” on affected children. The social impairments of children suffering from “child shifting” were cross-examined with the various parenting styles they would receive through continuous domestic relocation. “Children Caught in the Crossfire” is an interesting article that exploits numerous factors involving parental negligence which causes child shifting. This has become a clichéd situation in the Jamaican society as a vast percentage of Jamaican parents have become surprisingly negligent. Whether by improper parenting or defaulted situations, children have suffered from these mal-outcomes and this has become evident through child development assessments explored within the article. This matter of unnecessary mobility\child shifting is of personal and public interest which has become the drive upon which the research will be carried out. As a tertiary level student that lives and has been cultured within the assessed environment (Jamaican society), my interest has been stimulated to assess the factors surrounding the nature of this negative lifestyle pattern. This article has highlighted my sensitivity to this situation due to personal reflections (to some extent); analytical efforts will be made to completely understand this critical matter that decreases national productivity and development. Conclusively, after assessment of the article putting concepts into proper perspective, the research topic and question is as follows respectively: The impacts of child shifting on the psycho-social development of Jamaican children and what are the effects of child shifting on the psycho-social development of Jamaican children in
References: Braver, S. L., Ellman, I. M., Fabricius, W. V. (2003). Relocation of children after divorce and children’s best interests: New evidence and legal considerations. 17 (2), 206-219. Arizona State University & University of California. Gindes, M. (1998). The psychological effects of relocation for children of divorce. 15, 119-157. Journal of Psychological Effects of Relocation. Jackson, T. (1957). The differential impact of family disorganization. In Johnston, N., Savitz, L., Wolfgang, M.E. (Eds.). (1962), The sociology of crime and delinquency (pp. 331-338). New York & London: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Pasahow, R. (2005). A critical analysis of the first empirical research study on child relocation, Journal of Critical Analysis of Relocation Study, 19, 321-328. http://www.aaml.org/tasks/sites/default/assets/File/docs/journal/Journal_vol_19-2-6_Analysis_of_Research_Study_on_Child_Relocation.pdf. Samms-Vaughn, M. (2005). Children caught in the crossfire. In Ramsay, P. (2009). Blooming with the pouis. Ian Randle Publishers.