Published in the March 30 – April 12, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Pauline Nguyen
Pauline Nguyen
One of the most important development assets for me is family support. Family support is essential, especially to adolescents. Family support provides high levels of love, understanding and comfort. Without having a family member to turn to may lead a person to become stressed and emotional, which will eventually lead to anxiety. Having family support will keep a person happy, knowing their family members will not turn their backs on them, and will love them unconditionally. Knowing that you have a loving family that you come home to everyday is a really nice feeling.
Let’s just say you know a person who has feelings for the same sex, but their parents are against it. They don’t support their child’s decision. Imagine how this child would feel, especially when they are keeping it as a secret from their parents.
A subject like this may be fragile for some people, but this actually happens quite often in today’s society. The adolescent would feel that they will never be accepted by their family. That is the worst feeling ever. That feeling may lead to depression, neglect, anxiety, stress and more.
Family members need to know that adolescents are at a special age. They are growing up. They are trying to find out who they are.
Another example is when a parent does not accept what the child wants to be when they grow up. This can be hurtful, especially when they have a deep passion for that job, and the parents force them to do a different job. This forces the child to find another to job to do, rather than pursuing their passion. This causes the child to feel lonely, depressed, and not accepted by their family. For instance, what if you had a strong passion to become teacher, but your parents want you to become a doctor? This could make you feel stressed and like you may not be able to live up to your family expectations. Or what if you became a teacher instead of being a doctor? This would be going against your parent’s wishes and may cause tension between you.
Both of these examples show us how stressful it is when there is little or no family support. The solutions to both of these examples are talking things out and trying to come up with solutions. This kind of interaction between parent and child is very important and contributes to family support as well. This interaction helps the parent and child learn more about each other and the reasons behind their aspirations or actions.
Another way to show that family support is important is through care and love. For example, there is an adult who grew up with a painful childhood. He was beaten and cursed by his parents every day. Due to his painful childhood experiences, he now treats his wife and kids the same way, which shows no family support. This is another example of what a family lacking support may experience. Even if you are not a parent or guardian, think of how you act and treat others in your family. That is why family support is very important in life. Knowing that your parents don’t support your decisions will cause tension and problems in the future, such as arguing and stress. This will cause distance between you and your family, leaving a void in the relationship. In fact, the gap of distance may expand, and expand; causing you and your family to become distant. You might even feel like they are strangers to you, or like you are an unwelcome presence when you see them. Without family support, things will fall apart easily.
Different ways to show you love and support your family are to give others their respect and space. Spend more time with them, it will bring you closer and help you bond. Family support is one of the main keys in life to be happy.
Pauline Nguyen, 15, is a sophomore at Ann Sobrato High School. She likes watching Netflix movies and enjoys “the best things in life.” She is a member of the Morgan Hill Youth Action Council.
