What's Successful?

  This type of topic is something that needs not only a scientific eye to look at social experiments, but a more caring and personal viewpoint as well to fully understand the effects on children. A parent or adult figure is needed at all ages in life, whether you're an infant that needs help with everything, a toddler that keeps crawling into danger, a wide-eyed child going off to elementary school for the first time, or that cocky teenager full of raging hormones and bad ideas. Someone needs to be there to change your diaper, to guide you away from those electrical sockets, to hold your hand and introduce you to your teacher, or to ensure you're going to become a responsible adult that functions well in society. It is my belief that no one can grow up successfully without an adult figure to help out through life. If that's your birth parents, then great! If that happens to be your adoptive family, more power to you! Your favorite teacher, caring coach, best friends parents, someone, as long as they are a positive role model, has to guide a young spirit through those grueling first eighteen years of life.
   How do we define a positive role model? Well, someone who can lead by example. We don't ask hobos, thieves, or inmates to come talk in to teenagers about life after school. It's those adults who understand life, who work hard for their goals, that we want to influence these kids. As for me, I spent part of my life surrounded by those who could not provide those qualities needed in a great role model, so I chose to spend my life with someone who was. This choice allowed me to begin to understand was needed for a teenager to begin that ascent into adulthood. I contend that the nuclear family is no longer a necessity to foster a safe haven for children, but that extended families, single parent households, and adoptive families can manage just as well, given the right people at the helm. The parent is the captain of the ship (house) and needs to look after the crew (children) of their ship. I have included a link to another blog that touches on the same subject here, but from a different viewpoint.
http://timetoloveyourself.com/blog/wise-parents-teac/
   

Introduction to navigating family

Coming from a non-typical living situation, I think that I've found success in continuing my education after high school and I have begun to wonder if this a normal thing or if kids and teenagers give up hope when things happen that are out of their control. I hope to find reason to believe that anyone can be successful, regardless of their situation. The circumstances that one cannot control should not control their fate and I want to show that it is completely possible to do whatever you want to do. I don't think there is a perfect formula to growing up with family, but I can find certain elements that everyone needs and that they have the power to contribute with.