Children Raised by Alcoholic Parents
Children Raised by Alcoholic Parents
While reading “Who Are the Real Victims of Alcoholism” in my college textbook, I could not help but thinking of my own experiences as a child growing up with an alcoholic father. This essay was written by a student named Meredith Newmon Blanco. In her essay, she makes several strong claims on how children who are raised by alcoholic parents will grow up facing many troubling obstacles. Some of her examples are physical and emotional abuse, lack of structure and discipline, and a childhood that is filled with fear. Although alcoholism is a tremendous problem in the United States, not all children grow up suffering from a variety of problems due to the fact that they were raised by alcoholic parents.
Children, who are raised by alcoholic parents, are exposed to many different types of environments while growing up. Blanco states, “Children in homes with alcoholics grow up with inconsistency and disciplinary fluctuations”. (pg 52) Children are not only raised by their primary care giver, but by the community in which they live in. This means that children have many social relationships other than their parents. Daycares and schools are a place where many children spend a majority of their day. While in these facilities, the children are in an environment that is stable, structured, and socially enhancing. The teachers and caregivers in these facilities play an important role in the development of the children who are attending. If the facility is lacking in discipline and structure, this can contribute to many behavior problems displayed by the child. There are several children who do not attend these types of facilities and do spend a majority of their day at home with their alcoholic parents. However, there are also several characteristics that may contribute to the children’s success, including the ability to obtain positive attention from other people. This includes extended family members like grandparents, aunts, uncles,
While reading “Who Are the Real Victims of Alcoholism” in my college textbook, I could not help but thinking of my own experiences as a child growing up with an alcoholic father. This essay was written by a student named Meredith Newmon Blanco. In her essay, she makes several strong claims on how children who are raised by alcoholic parents will grow up facing many troubling obstacles. Some of her examples are physical and emotional abuse, lack of structure and discipline, and a childhood that is filled with fear. Although alcoholism is a tremendous problem in the United States, not all children grow up suffering from a variety of problems due to the fact that they were raised by alcoholic parents.
Children, who are raised by alcoholic parents, are exposed to many different types of environments while growing up. Blanco states, “Children in homes with alcoholics grow up with inconsistency and disciplinary fluctuations”. (pg 52) Children are not only raised by their primary care giver, but by the community in which they live in. This means that children have many social relationships other than their parents. Daycares and schools are a place where many children spend a majority of their day. While in these facilities, the children are in an environment that is stable, structured, and socially enhancing. The teachers and caregivers in these facilities play an important role in the development of the children who are attending. If the facility is lacking in discipline and structure, this can contribute to many behavior problems displayed by the child. There are several children who do not attend these types of facilities and do spend a majority of their day at home with their alcoholic parents. However, there are also several characteristics that may contribute to the children’s success, including the ability to obtain positive attention from other people. This includes extended family members like grandparents, aunts, uncles,
Cited: Blanco, Meredith Newmon. "Who Are the Real Victims of Alcoholism?" James, Missy and Alan P. Merickel. Reading Literature and Writing Argument. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2008. 51-55. Neill, Dr.Neill. The functioning Alcoholic Part 1. 2010. 16 September 2010 . NIAAA. About.com: Alcoholism. 15 September 2010 .