Uninvolved Parents - Essay Example

Jamie C. Kemper 13 October, Bailey Portfolio Journals Uninvolved Parents Children in their adolescence have a very volatile personality. This can be shaped by many things, of which parents are the most important factor as children spend most of their time with them. So it is vital that parents understand their role in the character building of their children, as they can give shape to their future lives. In the light of behavior of parents with their children, they are classified generally into four categories – authoritarian, permissive, authoritative or uninvolved (Feldman p.

250-251, 2010). Some of these categories have a positive effect in molding the character of children, and others less so, but none of these is as destructive to children as uninvolved parents. Uninvolved parents are completely uninterested in the welfare of their children, and they are dismissive and non-caring. They disregard their children completely as far as emotional attachment is concerned. Sometimes, they event neglect the basic needs of their children when it comes to their wishes vs. their children (Feldman p.251, 2010).

My childhood and teenage are a story filled with exactly this – neglect, exploitation, and even abuse, mental, physical as well as sexual. My parents inherited big through the death of my grandfather, which made them go into the drugs business. They became addicts themselves, and dealt in drugs through home. They even forced me and my sister to tend to the dealers that came by the house for the drugs. There was a lot of money that my parents inherited, but we still had no running water, no electricity, no food, tons of roaches, and fleas in our house.

Our drugged parents were totally detached from our well-being. We had no value in their lives. All my father did was scaring us and using us. Not only did we deal with physical beatings but also we had to endure our father’s sexual abuse. He molested me at the age of 5, which continued till 13. When I was thirteen years old I was placed into foster care by the state of Maryland. This happened because my dad tried to force sex with a friend of mine. The events after that made up the worst part of my life.

I had to testify against my father. I had to live alone and be neglected and exploited more so. Foster home took my rights away, made me feel like a prisoner, caused me to be discriminated and isolated, and all I wanted to do was end my life. All this was caused by only one reason – parental neglect. From this personal experience of mine, I can also comment with surety on the mental development of such children (Feldman p.251, 2010). It is absolutely rotten. Children whose parents are uninvolved in their lives are physically, mentally and emotionally impeded.

It is said that the only things that parents contribute to such children are food, clothing, and shelter. But what they also contribute is neglect, abuse and everything a parent can possibly do to incapacitate a child (Feldman p.252, 2010). Thus parents should focus on avoiding this as a must, as this is the worst thing you can do to a child. References Feldman, R. (2010). Development across the life span. (6th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall