“The White Umbrella” by Gish Jen is about a girl who feels like she doesn’t have a good life like others since her mother has a full-time job to support the family. After Ms. Crosman, her piano teacher, gifts a white umbrella to her, she wishes Ms. Crosman was her mother, displaying rejection to her own mother. Then, the white umbrella causes her family to get into a car accident. With closed eyes, the girl at first thinks her mother is dead. In the end, she learns a valuable lesson to be grateful for her life and family, so she ends up throwing away the umbrella. This story takes place around a time when most women, especially mothers whose families had enough money, did not work. As a result, when the girl’s mother started to, it made her feel distant from her mother and it felt wrong to her. However, it is also important to understand that not many parents have a choice whether to go to work or not.
There is no doubt that keeping one parent at home is beneficial. Among the most important people in a child's life are their parents. From an early age, children already rely on their parents to give them the care they need to be happy, healthy, and develop properly. Parents also impact their children in many ways including daily lifestyles and values. With a parent at home, they can also spend more precious time with their children. In the absence of time with their children because of work, parents cannot experience many things with them and witness their children's growth. It is impossible for parents to relive these moments with their children once they have become adults. In addition, having a parent stay at home can be less stressful for both parents. Balancing work life and family life can sometimes be very challenging. For example, after school, children still might need someone to look after them. Without a parent, it may be more inconvenient and difficult for the family according to a 2013 Pew Research. In the report, 51% of respondents stated that children are better if their mother is at home. Therefore, keeping a parent at home with their children is quite helpful.
On the other hand, some parents may be forced to leave their children alone as a result of life pressures. One of the main reasons is not having enough money to support a family when one parent only works. Examples include having low wages or sudden major changes. These all can hinder a parent to accompany their children. Both parents working can also cause more negative family situations, such as having less time to spend with children. Parents would not be able to spend quality time with their children, leading children to often lack the necessary support and supervision from parents. Without support, a child's mental state can worsen, which is not healthy. Having not enough time with children can also lead to poor communication, resulting in more distant connections between children and parents. As children grow to be older, this gap between parent and child may widen. According to 67 percent of adults in the 2013 Pew Research, the growing number of mothers who work outside the home has made it easier for families to earn enough. Nevertheless, 74% of parents say raising children is more challenging because of this. This shows that the pressures of life may force parents to leave their children, leading to more negative family situations.
In times when both parents must work, things should be and are currently done to help both working-parent families. For example, managements can create better finances that can enable parents to spend more time with their children, resulting in happier families. Now in many countries, there are government benefits for parents such as child support or family assistance. There is also a basic salary guarantee in jobs with better minimum wage in various too. Aside from better finances, some countries also offer daycares and public schools to take care of children while parents are at work. It is not only easier for parents to find places for their children to stay during working hours, but it is also a good opportunity for children to learn as well. However, unfortunately, not all countries have these many kinds of support. Of course, almost all of them have public schools and daycares, but some do not have access to better financial conditions. Nations like Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland still do not have legal minimum wage requirements. In fact, according to statistics from many countries, the lowest federal minimum wage is in Sierra Leone where workers only receive around $0.03 per hour. Although both parents cannot change the fact they still have to work, the society still should help out these parents.
In conclusion, even though there are benefits of parents staying at home with children, many may not be able to have a stable living with only one parent working. Some reasons why it is important for parents to stay at home with their children are because their children still need them and life can be less stressful balancing work with family time. Yet, these opportunities and advantages are removed when both parents are forced to start working due to, most likely, financial issues. Therefore, the society should be helping out both working-parent families. Certainly, the society is already aiding them in ways such as places to take care of their children, government benefits, and minimum wage, but there are still places that do not offer these. As a result, the economy needs to change in order to support these families. To sum up, parents should be able to stay at home with children and it is the best decision to do so.
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