A force threatening todays families in America is strictly the society in which we live. Society has become more and more of a problem. The problem seems to be universal no matter what age you are. The influences of society seems to be changing and is very debatable. Violence, music, and traditions being broken are three key factors of society threatening families in todays day and age.
Values truly come from the family you were raised in and how you, personally, were brought up. Outside influences can have a positive or negative impact on the family as a whole or as an individual member of a family. The main threatening force is violence. Not only is it in movies and T.V.shows, but now it has gotten to the point where it is displayed in schools.
For example, the Columbine shooting was totally unexpected; no one seemed to know about it. Theres not much a family can do in that particular situation. No matter how much a parent discusses the dangers of violence, a child still could be tempted by outside influences. A way to prevent this type of problem is to engage in a variety of community activities all together as a family and stress the importance of family values such as love and respect to the children being raised.
Music is a key factor on influencing a family unit today. The influences of music affect children in different ways. In the 1950s, the attitude of music was very different than it is now. The music was much more innocent. Today, children relate to each other and are setting different standards for themselves in a negative way. Kids hear explicit lyrics which then encourage some of them to get involved in sexual activity or relationships that they are not ready for because they are too young.
Children should not be influenced by lyrics of words, but sadly enough it is proven that they take lyrics literally and try and imitate that individual. Not only do children listen, but they also watch and learn from elders. A threatening force are all of the young pop stars who dress inappropriately and the children, once again, try and mimic them which is a very negative concern. The only way to prevent children from being negatively influenced is to monitor what they are watching and what type of music he or she is listening to.
Todays society is changing rapidly. If you think about it family traditions are being broken; people are constantly moving around and persistently looking for change. The parents, who are moving around from city to city and from town to town, are the parents who have no source of advice and not the sense of a family network. In my life, I know that eating a family dinner is a value both my parents have, but that is constantly being broken due to sports practices, music lessons, or swimming meets.
The only solution that is a possibility is to stay close to your parents when you are older and make the extra effort to have a family meal together to discuss how your families day went and what has been going on with each person. The reality of that is slim to none considering the growing work field, people looking for jobs outside of their city, and children and parents participating in evening activities.
In short, society puts forth extremely negative influences from which no one can run away. The parents can only do so much to keep their son or daughter from falling into this trap. None of these threats have a direct solution, but all can be prevented in some way or another. The forces definitely can impose negative behavior, but familys values and morals tend to have an inner strength that that individual wishes to hold on to.
