Poor Parenting

Title Page

Student: Trishana Richardson

Candidate Number:

Subject: CAPE Communication Studies

Tutor: Mrs. Laurence

Theme of portfolio: “Poor ParentingPoor Parenting”

Sub-theme of portfolio: Is poor parenting the root cause of the many socio- economic problems in society?

Table of Content

Introduction “Children live what they learn”. Anonymous

Sub-Theme: Is poor parenting the reason for the socio-economic problems in the Jamaica?

Theme & purpose of portfolio: The theme, Poor Parenting,Poor Parenting, is a social dilemma that

impacts the socio-economic structure of Jamaica in a negative way. Evidence of moral

deterioration, unemployment and a high level of teenage pregnancy are resulting factors of

poor parenting. This portfolio was done to examine the effects of poor parenting and how it

perpetuates the many challenges that Jamaica faces.

How theme relates to academic interest: The candidate is currently studying sociology

which deals study of society and it members. A sociological analysis of the problem of poor

parenting, will allow the researcher to examine this problem from a standardized perspective

in sociology.

How theme relates to candidate’s work-related interests: The candidate, having

aspirations of being a sociologist choose this topic has it was deemed relevant to the desired

field of work. Poor parenting is a topic

How theme relates to candidate’s personal interests: The candidate having seen the

negative impact of poor parenting on the development of children, strongly believe that this

problem must be addressed by members of society, in order for the future of Jamaica

development to be brighter.

ExpositionIs poor parenting the root cause of the many socio- economic problems in society?

Jamaica is faced with several social problems because of large amount of juvenile

delinquents that live there. Whitney Houston stated in one of her most revered songs that “the

children are the future” but if these many juvenile delinquents are the future, then the future of

Jamaica does not look bright. It is said that many parents in Jamaica have failed to instill proper

values in their children from a tender age and now many of these children have grown up to

become unproductive members of society; engaging in counter-productive activities; but how

accurate is this statement?

This dilemma faces the country of Jamaica to a great extent; leading Psychologist like Dr

Leahcim Semaj and other sociologist; to look into the ill-effects of poor parenting; however

others social scientist like Cody Kulla are now claiming that a increasing amount of delinquents

are those coming from good families with strict parents who love and care for them; so what

could be the root cause of a problem that so desperately needs solving? As a young person the

problem of juvenile delinquency worries me deeply, as children some whom who have not even

left high school as yet are now terrorizing our society, putting the noble name of Jamaica into

disrepute.

The country of Jamaica is plagued with the problem of crime and violence; many homes of

our nation are nurturing criminal and individuals with serious behavioural problems. These

social problems according to Dr Leahcim Semaj can be linked to poor parenting, he stated at a

forum, held at the Jamaica Observer's North Street, central Kingston offices.

"In Jamaica, a lot of persons go straight from childhood to parenting," he said, noting that more

than three-quarters of children in the country are born to couples who will not have a long-term

relationship.

"Many Jamaican children don't even know their puppa (father)," he added, also noting the

continued absence of the father's name from the children's birth certificates. He said people who

take on parenting responsibilities in many cases cannot provide for themselves, let alone a child.

"Our society is just totally short of what is required for parenting," he said. "Just because a

fertile man and a fertile woman get together and breed, that don't make you a parent!" he

exclaimed. However Dr Semaj himself stated that parenting today is growing more increasingly

difficult, taking into consideration the large amount of external negative influences that

sometimes affect our children, he said "Parenting is about moving children towards pro-social

activities and to a large extent the media in Jamaica supports antisocial behaviour in Jamaica,"

he commented ."What parents had to compete with 20 or 30 years ago, the average parent

cannot compete with what the media influence is now." So is Dr Semaj being too judgmental of

the parents of juvenile delinquents.

Some parents of the delinquents are in many instances those who really try to make the best

of a bad situation and try to instill proper values in their child but their efforts somehow prove

futile. An article published on Yahoo’s contributor network, on the Nov 8, 2006 by Journalist,

Cody Kulla she expressed her views, that poor parenting was not main reason for rising rate of

juvenile delinquency; she said in the article “I believe that one's social class play a big part in

his or her behaviour. Being in a low social class, it is obvious that these people are not equipped

with the same opportunities as the rest of us. They are just making it by and they are not "cool"

enough to fit in with the innocent people of their age group. This causes them to find comfort in

other people like them, who are more times than not, Growing up in a happy home, it is hard for

me to imagine that these aggressive behaviours are a direct result of the parents' mannerisms

delinquents themselves

In evaluating the sources, all of the sources in my estimation are reliable and are authorized to

give information, with some having experience on the subject matter or others having intellectual

knowledge based on research and statistics. The first source consulted was Dr Leahcim Semaj;

he is a psychologist by profession; this psychologist believes that by working with our ideas

(human capital) and each other (our social capital) we can change the world. It is with this ideal

that Dr. Leahcim Semaj takes on the mantle of motivational speaker, career developer and a

professed agent of social change. With all this said I have no reservation in deeming him a

credible and reliable source, having the credentials to speak on the topic of poor parenting. The

information given in Dr Semaj’s speech is valid and reflects the current situation in today’s

society and is reasonable and correct based on common sense reasoning, despite of the five year

lapse in time, the information is still reliable, due to the fact that much as not changed since the

last 5 years. The medium for which this information was collected was via the Jamaica Observer

news paper. The second source Cody Kulla is a lecturer of journalism at the Greensburge

university in Pennsylvania, and would be considered a valid source however, Cody Kulla’s

isolation from the circumstances of the lower class and the negative effects of poor parenting

does not make her opinion the most credible source, however she does make a excellent point

when she states that poorer children do not have the means to fit in with children of the upper

class. It is a known fact that children of the upper class have parents who can afford to send them

to the best schools, buy them the best learning materials and afford them opportunities that a

poor child can only dream off. This puts children of the lower class at a disadvantage, and some

fall to the vicious cycle of poverty. The Yahoo! Contributor Network allows writers,

photographers, and videographers to share their knowledge and passion with hundreds of

millions of people worldwide. Find your audience and earn money by publishing your unique

perspectives on Voices and other Yahoo! sites. Requisite

The problems I faced in doing this research paper is finding credible opposing arguments on this

topic.

In my conclusion use the definition of Claudette Crawford-Brown/ 1999 stated that “parenting

involves the encouragement of socially approved patterns and the discouragement of other

habits”

Preface of Reflection

The following reflective piece will take the form of a drama piece and the purpose of it is

to highlight the negative effects of poor parenting practices (such as poor socialisation of

children, neglect, and child abuse) on a child social development. The fictional characters of

the reflective piece will demonstrate the effects of poor parenting through their interaction

with each other.

This reflective piece is intended for audiences above the age of thirteen, as some of its

contents may not be suitable for children under the required age limit and is only for viewing

by adults. However; the candidate in preparing this reflective piece had two target groups in

mind and they are:-

1.1. Parents andParents and

2.2. Prospective parentsProspective parents

ParentsParents:: This group was selected as a target audience because, the morals of this story;

written by the candidates, informs parents of what are poor parenting practices. It is the hope

of the candidate that on reading this story parents will be sensitized on what are inappropriate

ways of socializing children and deviate from them.

Prospective parentsProspective parents: This group was also selected as a target audience because this reflective

piece will sensitize prospective parents on what are poor parenting practices and instill the

importance of practicing proper family planning methods, so that they will be able to provide

for their children in the future both socially and financially. This reflective piece can be made

into a play or movie to be used parenting seminars or just for general viewing.

ReflectionA Broken ChildhoodA Broken Childhood

Characters

MoniqueMonique - Daughter of Nicky, friend of Miss Joy.

Miss JoyMiss Joy - Mentor of Monique, Teacher of Wolmers girl’s school.

NickyNicky - Mother of Monique, Mario and others

Scene1- The search for food

Scene: [Monique walks through the streets of March town in search of something to eat after

her mother (Nicky) leaves her and her younger siblings hungry, to attend a dance, she looks

over a fence to see a woman busy in her kitchen]

Monique: “A wonda if I ask har fi some food, if shi wud gimme? Afta all I duh know this

woman, what if shi run mi away?”

[Miss Joy then leaves the kitchen, Monique then enters the yard put then stops on seeing a

sleeping dog, who is apparently sick. She then continues walking and then makes her way in the

kitchen, she then makes her way to the stove and opens the pot and begins taking food out of the

pot and starvingly feed herself. Then Miss Joy enters the kitchen and then grabs Monique by the

shoulder.]

Miss Joy: “What you doing in my house little girl?! That’s the reason why unu poison ma dog,

so unu can come in here and thief”!

[Monique tries to break free from Miss Joy firm hold]

Monique: “Let mi go ouman, mi wid cum outta u place, just kool an let mi go nuh”!!

Miss Joy: Is that how you speak to an adult little girl”, [in a stern voice] “After all you are the

one that broke into my kitchen, I have every right to ask you what you doing here”.

Monique: “Well, [in a humbled voice] “mi did jus hungry an a look a ting fi mi eat”.

Miss Joy: “So if you were hungry, don’t you think the right and proper way was to ask me for

my food.”

[Monique looks at her in silence and then holds her down to eat the chicken again and looked at

Miss Joy in intervals to see if she is making her upset.]

Miss Joy: “What is your name child”?

Monique: “Mi name Manique”.

Miss Joy: “So Monique where is your mother”?

Monique: [ pauses a while ]“Mi nuh know”.

[Miss Joy looks at Monique with discernment on her countenance. She then moved to the

kitchen cupboard and took out plastic dish with a lid and then began to share out some of her

food in the dish]

Miss Joy: “Listen mi young lady, the next time you want something to the eat call at the gate

and then wait for my acknowledgement, ask nicely and I will give you something to eat” [She

then hands Monique the bowl of food and immediately Monique reaches out to take it with

much anticipation. Miss Joy then withdrew the plate] “What must you say”?

Monique: [reluctantly] “Thanx”.

[Miss Joy then escorts Monique out of the yard and stop to ask]

Miss Joy: “A nuh you poison ma dog, little girl?”

Monique: “No a nuh me”.

Miss Joy: “Oh o.k. then, don’t let me see you in my yard again uninvited, you hear mi?”

Monique: “Yes Miss” [Monique leaves to go home, to her younger siblings]

Scene 2 – Becoming friends

Scene: Days after, Miss Joy and Monique meets again on the street.

Miss Joy: “What school you attend, Child?”

Monique: “March town primary”.

Miss Joy: [worriedly] “So how come you’re not at school today?”

Monique: “Mi nuh have nuh money fi go” [holding her head down, sweeping the gravel with

her bare feet, sensing Miss Joy pity]

Miss Joy: [lefts Monique’s head to gain her attention] “So what you want be when you grow

up?”

Monique: [doubtingly] “A doctor”.

Miss Joy: “So how you plan on becoming a doctor by breaking into people’s houses?”

[Monique holds her head down in shame. Miss Joy nods her head in pity and then invites

Monique into her house and they become good friends, Monique continues to visit Miss Joy’s

house every day, much to Nicky’s disgust]

Scene 3 – Monique passes for high school

Miss Joy: “I am so proud of you, you passed for Wolmers”

Monique: “I can’t believe it myself; it would not have been possible without you Miss Joy,

cause my mom nuh business wid mi, Shi not even now how mi go school”.

Miss Joy: “Ah Child, your mother will come around eventually when she learns what a bright

girl you are; speaking of your mother did she hear the good news?”

Monique: “No, Miss Joy”.

Miss Joy: “Well what are you waiting for go and tell her”.

[Monique looks at Miss Joy and then heads out to tell her mother the news, on her way she sees

her mother on the road, in high spirits and Walks to her mother and her mother reaches out to

hug her]

Nicky: “Si mi bright daughta yah weh pass har GSAT, oounu look pon har good a my star

dis”.

[The people on the road, greets Monique with cheers of congratulations, the curtains on set

falls]

Scene 4 – Two years later, an abusive mother

[Monique walks home from Miss Joy’s house to be greeted by her very upset mother]

Monique: [remorsefully] “Good evening Mummy”,

[Nicky then grabs Monique by the hair and pulled her in the house, while Monique screams]

Nicky: “yuh spen whole day a that deh ouman yaad a clean it an nuh si say fi u house duty, yuh

tink yuh betta dan this yah house yah, Miss stushy, yuh tink yuh betta dan me”?!! [Nicky then

throws Moniques face in the wall of the house breaking her nose]

Nicky: Clean up this damn house gal and don’t mek mi haffi mash yuh up in yah, yuh damn

nassi” !!!!

[With tears running down her face and blood dripping from her nose, Monique sweeps the

house]

Nicky: “Idiat gal tap nassi up di blasted place, a wah do yah fool fool gal yah man”? A soon

mash up yuh wid yah damn cup yah. Tru yuh start chat English now and a go big high school

now yuh think yuh a smaddy an yuh better dan mi in yah. Mi nuh know wah u mek that deh

ouman a full up yuh head wid caz yuh is nobody. !!!!!

[Monique hearing the words of her mother throws the broom down and runs out of the house]

Nicky: [shouting] “Come back here”!!!!!

[Monique falls to the ground under a tree and continues to cry bitterly]

Monique: “I will proof to my mother that I am somebody and I won’t grow up to be a prostitute

and a horrible mother like her, cause your right mom I am better a better human being than

you!”[The curtains fall]

The End!!!!

Analysis of Reflective Piece In the reflective piece; “A Broken Childhood”, the interactions between the characters brings

out several elements of communication. However, only two will be analysed and they are

dialectal variation and communicative behaviour.

Throughout the reflective piece different dialectal variation was used by the characters. Miss

Joy spoke mainly the acrolect variation (standard English) and one can deduce that Miss Joy

spoke that way because her level of educational attainment as seen in this example: “Is that how

you speak to an adult little girl?” It should be noted that Miss Joy used the dialect variation

when they were angered as seen this example of Miss Joy’s speech: “That’s the reason why unu

poison ma dog, so unu can come in here and thief”! Miss Joy used creole as it is more emotive

than the acrolect variation. Nicky spoke only in basilect variation (deep patois) which illustrates

that she as a low educational attainment and poor mannerism as seen in this example: “Idiat gal

tap nassi up di blasted place”.

Examples of communicative behaviours were illustrated by the characters in the drama

piece. Vocalics was used by Nicky when was calling her daughter as illustrated in this example:

“[shouting] “Come back here”!!!!! Vocalics is used to denote emotions by the use of pitch,

volume and tone. Proxemix was show by Monique when she ran out of the house crying.

Monique used space to show that didn’t want to be around her mother. Monique also used body

language to show emotions when her mom was cursing her, gestures such as crying, screaming,

throwing down the broom and running out of the house shows her emotional hurt and

resentment towards her mother.

.