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Dysfunctional Families

© Heather Ringrose

What is it that makes a Dysfunctional Family rather than a Multi-Talented One? We all know the families that are just broken apart and in terrible times, and also the families that always seem happy and successful. What are they doing that others are not? There is obviously something amiss here and this article aims to find out what it is . . .

The child who runs away from home constantly. The child who won’t lift a finger and wants all your money. The child who tries to commit suicide. The child who just won’t try at school. The children who won’t speak to each other at home. The children who gang up against their parents. The children who all end up to be smokers. . . The list goes on. Is there really a perfect family out there? I don’t think so, but I think some families have more trouble than others. I have deduced that absent parents, over-protective parents, and over-enthusiastic parents seem to be most prone to troubled children. I am not contradicting myself in the last sentence . . . both too little and too much involvement with the children leads to problems.

Let us take a look at some anonymous family profiles. A family has three teenage girls in it. Their parents are very religious and always making their children follow strict rules. As soon as the children are old enough, they rebel and turn to like-minded peers. Soon they are going to parties, using alcohol excessively, smoking, using drugs, skipping school. Marmo says. "If they don't receive structure, guidance and acceptance from parents, teens will seek it out, one way or another, usually from a negative group, like gangs, or other peer groups that may not be a good influence." (Robert Marmo, Stony Brook University). The parents have not given their children enough freedom. Now, for the first time, the children have freedom and are not able to make the right decisions. One daughter is so upset that she tries to kill herself more than once. All three begin to worry about death and act strange in the company of others. This family could still be saved by counseling.

There is another family of talented people. They have only sons. Both are sent to private school and both are terribly limited in what they are allowed to do. They are not allowed to go anywhere alone and they have too many structured activities. Again, the lack of freedom turns them into rebellious teens who run away, waste money, and generally wreck havoc on their parents’ lives. The sad thing is that