The Way We Never Were (Coontz) Free Essay Example, 1250 words

I wanted to show that families have always been in flux, and often in crisis. Knowing that there was no golden age of family life, I believed, would enable people to deal more effectively with the problems facing todays families than if they continued to romanticize the good old days " (Coontz, X ). According to the author, there is no perfect definition of good parenting as time an again it has been seen in history that what is considered good for a certain age or time, is completely reversed or negated in another. Further, the term good parenting is also relative to the class, caste and racial or ethnic background of an individual. For instance, the Sioux Indians of America had the tradition of males keeping long hair, and the cutting of these locks was a sign of mourning and was accepted, only in cases of death or any other tragedy, which befell a member of the family or tribe. But the Colonialists, per force cut the hair of these children, and forced their, alien customs and tra ditions, including proselytising them to the Christian faith, in the name of civilization. We will write a custom essay sample on The Way We Never Were (Coontz) or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page But as the later decades to the present proved that such a way of life was not to sustain for long and the mom in addition to her traditional duties also had to help her spouse in earning bread for the family, in order to meet the demands of modern living. And the father apart from his traditional role, also was and to the present day is, supposed to share the burden of the mundane household chores, as well. Emphasising the point that good parenting is a relative term. This is, especially seen in the transformation that took place in the society with a change in the traditional gender roles. Divorced mothers or single mothers is another variation of family life, and much more of a reality today than just a bane in the past. Now how would we possibly define " parental omni-potence ": In simple terms, it is well nigh impossible for both parents to maintain a constant vigil on their children. Why