A parent is an individual who has the most influential impact on a child, and therefore play an important role in preparing the child for their future. However, what defines a good and influential parent? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is a strong father figure who has put in continuous amounts of effort into parenting Jem and Scout. This leads to Jem and Scout being comfortable in openly expressing their opinions, even if they are against social standards. Parents are more influential on children than friends because they teach important life lessons, are a child’s main source of support as well as act as a role model for a child.
A life lesson is a teaching in which useful knowledge or principles may be taught or learned. Children are often taught these lessons from their parents and use these valuable teachings in their everyday lives. Atticus vocalizes the central lesson he wants to convey to Scout, which is that empathy is the key to understanding others. Early on in the novel, Atticus states,
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First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. (Lee 39)
He is teaching Scout that before judging an individual she should consider that person’s feelings and perspective. This is a very important life lesson as it teaches children to not be prejudice. Many adults find success later in life by going back and reteaching themselves important life lessons. Vera Wang began figure skating at a young age and after years of intensive training and many competitions she failed to make it to the 1986 US Olympic team. She did not view this experience as a defeat and saw it as an opportunity to learn an important life lesson. Her parents encouraged her to join the workforce and Vera Wang put her skating days behind her, and turned to fashion. She started in the industry by working in an Yves Saint Laurent boutique and worked her way up to owning and designing her own fashion brand. (Fitzpatrick 2013) She stated
People have done far better than me in far shorter periods of time, but that wasn’t my story. It was brick by brick, client by client, store by store. It’s been a trip of passion, but it has not been a quick trip. Nor has it been easy. And that is the truth. (Fitzpatrick “Vera Wang Says Keep Your Feet on the Ground and Don't Get Ahead of Yourself' 2013)
Vera Wang quickly learns that by having perseverance she is able to become successful in life even as an adult. Nevertheless, life lessons are beneficial teachings to any individual regardless of their age, goals or life situation.
Being a supportive parent can be shown through actively encouraging children, listening without judgement, setting consistent expectations as well as supporting a child through high and low times. Atticus shows his support for Scout by reading to her nightly. By doing this he is able to build a trusting connection with his child and assures her that she could always find support at home. During one of their nightly conversations, Atticus and Scout discuss what Miss Caroline told Scout that day about her ability to read. Atticus responds to Scout with 'If you'll concede the necessity of going to school, we'll go on reading every night just as we always have. Is it a bargain?' (Lee 41). This agreement makes Scout aware of Atticus’ support towards her academic growth. Supporting a child can be done through supporting them emotionally, physically and financially. Although a friend may be a source of support, any individual will be more willing to turn to a parent during a time of need rather than turn to a friend. This is more likely to occur because they have trusting and judgemental free relationships with their parents. Parents often find themselves aiding their children financially. Nearly three in four parents with adult children say they help their grown children with finances. (Kline 'Nearly 75% of parents help their adult children financially' 2017). Most parents offering financial support for their children over eighteen years of age have either helped with living expenses or given their child money to pay debts. However this form of support often leads to young adults having financial issues in the future as a result of them not learning how to manage their own finances. This form of support should not be encouraged by parents as it will not allow their children to fully mature into independent adults.
A role model is an individual whose behaviour, example, success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 2005) Common role models include: family members, celebrities, fictional characters and leaders. Scout and Jem view Atticus as their role model by following his beliefs about racism in Maycomb. Atticus takes a bold stance against racism during the trail and states
The older you grow the more of it you’ll see. The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. (Lee 295)
Atticus believes all people should have equal representation in a court of law. Furthermore he states that a white man who uses his privilege to cheat a black man is, in fact, inferior to that black man. This shows that Atticus is an excellent role model for Jem and Scout because he is not afraid to openly express his opinions, even though they are unpopular in their community during the time period. By seeing their father’s confidence, Jem and Scout will aspire to be more like their father and start to publicly express themselves as well. Any individual regardless of their age, race, religion, gender or life experiences can be a role model. Malala Yousafzai became one of the biggest role models to young women all around the world at the age of seventeen. Malala defied the Taliban in Pakistan and demanded that girls be allowed to receive an education. She was shot in the head by a member of the Taliban in 2012 and miraculously survived. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of seventeen, making her the youngest recipient of the award. One of her most famous quotes states “I raise up my voice not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back” (Good Reads 'Malala Yousafzai Quotes (Author of I Am Malala)' 2019). Today Malala continues to fight for what she believes is right while also encouraging young women to fight for their rights and beliefs. In essence, positive role models influence an individual’s actions and motivate them to uncover their potential and overcome their weaknesses.
In summary, parents are more influential to children than friends because they teach children how to develop good morals, are the primary source of support for children in many ways including financially as well as set a good example so that children can aspire to be more like their parents . Many parents underestimate the amount of influence that they have on a child and how valued their opinion is. Today’s children are the future and if influenced correctly, society can remain peaceful and in order for many years to come.
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