Xuan Yao
Professor Martin
English 114B
5 March 2012
Parenting
The glass castle is a memoir by Jeannette Walls that is about the shocking
experiences of her childhood. In her family, they were six people besides Jeanette: her
father, Rex, her mother, Rose Mary, and her siblings, Brian, Lori and Maureen. In this
memoir, Jeannette describes herself and her siblings' unconventional, poor upbringing
under the hands of their parents who, no matter what, always provided them with
exciting experiences which enabled them to learn many of life’s lessons. Some may
say that the Walls children would have been better off in a more comfortable
environment because their parents were not good parents; however, they would have
never seen the success they had if they did not have the parents they did. Jeannette’s
parents actually displayed good parenting skills because they succeeded in helping
their children become successful, have a wider view of the world, and develop a good
character.
Jeannette’s parents are rare nontraditional parents, and their parenting is different
from the traditional educational style. In the The Glass Castle, Jeannette mentions her
first swimming with the help of her parents and family. Jeannette was scared of the
larger bodies of water, so she had never learned before. When she waded in up to her
shoulders, she asked her father for help. However, her father forced Jeannette to learn
how to swim. He pushed Jeannette away, and let her sink into the hot, smelly water.
Jeannette instinctively breathed in water that surged into her nose and mouth and
down her throat. Finally her father pulled her into the shallow water, and taught her to
catch her breath. Then her father forced Jeannette to choose to sink or swim. Jeannette
first preferred to sink rather than swim, so she experienced the feeling of suffocation
again. Fortunately, she did swim by herself with the encouragement of her family.
Everyone congratulated Jeannette that she can swim finally. All children want to feel
they are important part of family. That’s the reason they will always strive to learn and
advance. So, when they do or learn something new or when they behave properly, it is
good to tell them how magnificent that new thing was and how great their
achievement was. It is important to tell them to learn new things. (2) Parenting can
improve children’s ability, and lead them to succeed.
Good parenting also can bring the children to a world of fantasy and make
them have a wider view of the world. Jeannette has the parents who were born
with a heavenly steed soaring across the skies and imaginable creative. In the
beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns and
camping in the mountains. Jeannette’s father Rex was a talented man who taught
Jeannette and her siblings physics, geology, and how to face the life with courage.
Later, when they had no money, they became the family which was always “doing the
skedaddle.” Sometimes they lived with their grandmother who lives in a white house
in Phoenix. Life did become better for a while when living with her. However, good
times do not last long. They continued “doing the skedaddle.” During the skedaddle,
they often regarded the land as their bed, and the sky as their quilt. This was a curious
experience to the children, and can help children grow with the creative view of the
world.
For me, parenting is much more important than the comfortable environment.
When I was young, my parents divorced. My mother had to work hard to raise me.
That was a hard time for me and my mother. She opened a restaurant to earn money.
In order to save money, we lived in the restaurant. In the daytime, we clean up our
sleeping items, and when we went to sleep in the night, we took them back out. In
the restaurant, my mother would do everything by herself most of the time. She got
up early to buy the fresh and cheap food and she greeted the guests. My mother was
busy from morning to night. Even in such a difficult situation, my mother never
gave up. She withstood the pressure of life, and she finally walked to success.
Sending me to study abroad is very good proof to show my mother’s success.
Though our lives were not perfect or good in the early years, my days were really
very happy. I regard my mother as my role model, and looking at her makes me feel
full of power. Children tend to become what they witness and hear. What I learn from
my mother is called supporting oneself. You try your best to make effort, and you will
gain the success. No pain, no gain. Therefore, good parenting is leading a child to a
successful way.
Raising children is one of the difficult at the same time most rewarding jobs in
the world. With a little patience and accepting a little assistance one can take the right
steps on how to be a good parent. There is no such definition for a good parent. To
Jeannette, her parents are the most suitable for her. In other words, their parenting is
successful. To me, I think my mother is my role model, and her parenting is good for
me, too. Even though we do not have the comfortable environment, good parenting
also makes us have the correct world outlook and value on life.
Worked Cited
Walls, Jeanette. The Glass Castle. New York: Scribner, 2005. Print.
"How to Be a Good Parent: Essential Characteristics and Qualities of a Good Parent." Explore These Parenting Skills That Could Turn Your Child into a Wizard. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.parenting-skills.org/448/how-to-be-a-good-parent-essential-characteristics-and-qualities-of-a-good-parent>.
No comments:
Post a Comment