Growing Up In a Large Family

Family, being the most basic unit of society is where the values of an individual are shaped. That is ideal of course and varies from widely from culture to culture.   In developed countries the family is mostly composed of the mother, father and the child. The number of children also varies from 1-3. That is called the nuclear family wherein a home includes no other relatives other than the first degree. However when it comes to developing countries where family ties are valued down to the farthest line such as cousins, uncles and grandparents, a family can be as large as seven to 12 people of more. In countries where the Islam religion is dominant and where the law allows for concubines, a family can be a very large. There are many advantages when it comes to growing up in a large family. For one, it is more lively and there are a lot of people who can help each other just in case the parents are busy. In cases where there are many children, as long as the parents are able to give equal love, care and financial support to each child then the family can be a host to a well rounded child. This is because even at a young age he is trained to mingle with a large crowd and build close ties with the others. The child therefore, grows to be an emotionally stable child and is well endowed with love and care. Brotherhood and sisterhood can also be cultivated in the mind of the child since he has a lot of siblings to take care of and play with. He will learn values such as teamwork and camaraderie at a young age. In addition to that, if the parents are loving enough and are effective in their parenting, the children will value sharing and fairness.  In cases where the grandparents and other relatives live with the family, then there would be a lot of adults to take care of the children and minimizing or compensating the love and attention that the parents can’t give to their child. In a nutshell, growing up in a large family can be very beneficial for the emotional status of the child.