Case 3: Argumentative Essay
Length: no less than 1,300 words, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt font size
In addition to your own thoughts, words, and ideas, this essay is to include TWO credible and reliable secondary sources.
The first person “I” is not used in a formal essay.
CASE ASSIGNMENT
For this assignment, you will choose one topic from the list below and write an argumentative essay.
A well-organized essay has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning, or introduction, should include an opening sentence to grab your reader’s attention. Follow the opening sentence with a brief background on the topic or situation. The last sentence of the introduction is the thesis statement. The thesis states the main point of the essay, which in this case, would be a statement affirming the point of view on the selected topic.
A well-supported essay includes supporting points, details, and examples. Each body paragraph must support (explain) your reasoning (rationale) using specific details. Each body paragraph must have a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph.
The conclusion typically summarizes the main points of the essay and/or closes with a lasting impression that connects the reader to their world.
Be sure to proofread your essay and edit for proper grammar, punctuation, diction (word choice), and spelling, as errors in sentence skills will lower a final grade. A grade will be determined based on the Module 4 Case expectations and the Trident University General Education rubric for English.
This essay must include a combination of no less than SIX in-text citations from two or more credible and reliable sources. Citations are to be a combination of direct quotations and paraphrased quotations with or without the author’s name, and a Reference List in APA Style must be included.
(The benefit of a two-parent household) IS THE TOPIC
ASSIGNMENT EXPECTATIONS
Write an argumentative essay (no less than 1,300 words in length) that states an original thesis statement and includes no fewer than six citations in APA Style from two credible and reliable sources.
Demonstrate the ability to write clearly and cohesively when expressing one’s ideas and/or intended purpose.
Demonstrate the ability to clearly state and support a thesis in an organized and cohesive essay using secondary sources.
Introduction
Waves of social changes have swept the whole world off its feet, and certain norms of great value have started deteriorating. Traditions such as marriage that were greatly valued in the past are now broken easily due to some minor disagreements between the partners. Sex has lost its value its almost becoming a source of recreation. Beliefs have changed, and most of the millennials that consider themselves ‘woke’ do not see the importance of marriage. Institutional erosion occurs right before our eyes, but the world is too focused on being ‘modern’ to see the consequences of their actions. What the world does not realize is that such practices result in children born out of wedlock (Patterson et al., 2017). We have married men impregnating single women, college students who are not ready to handle the responsibilities of a father, becoming fathers in the name of ‘one night stands’. Women who have the wrong interpretation of feminism as a fight against men taking the preference of becoming single mothers and let us not forget ‘fathers’ out there who have neglected their responsibilities. All these actions have inevitably led to an increase in single parenthood. The two-parent system is being faced by various challenges despite the many benefits it brings to the table. The world will have to recognize the benefits of two-parent families for it to be embraced. This is not bias; it includes the LGBTQ community, as long as the two individuals act as the caregiver of the child. The essay is going to discuss some of the benefits of single parenthood. Two-parent families may have its downside, but its advantages overshadow its negligible flaws.
Benefits
Risk exposure. Children are exposed to many risks, such as smoking, sex, drinking, and drugs. Research done by Cornell University in 2009 showed that children raised under two-parent families have a low probability of being exposed to such risks as compared to single-parent families. Many factors accompany risk exposure. First, the diversity of thoughts. In two-parent families, there is a diversity of thoughts since the partners may have different opinions towards certain issues, for example, drugs. One parent may be okay with drugs due to their experiences in life or certain factors that may have influenced them towards drugs, but the other partner is not. The two will have to sit down and discuss the best way to handle the issue. If the partner that is against drugs is well versed with the adverse effects of drugs, they might change their partner’s opinion, and the two will come up with a decision that benefits the child. The diversity of thoughts creates a barrier between the children and such risks, unlike a single parent who views drugs as being “not such a big deal’ may allow the child and expose them to such risks. The same counts for things such as sex and drinking.
Secondly, there is control. Two-parent family has more control over their children’s actions as compared to a single-parent family. Monitoring children’s activities is easier in two-parent families since the child has two guardians that closely scrutinize their actions. This prevents giving them the freedom to explore things such as drugs. In some situations, children may fear or feel uncomfortable approaching a certain parent with a certain problem they are facing, such as girls on their menses may feel uncomfortable confiding in their fathers. The two-parent family gives the child a chance to talk to the other parent and find a solution to the problem. This enables the parents to know what is going on in their children’s lives thus have control of their children. In a single parent set up where the father is present, if a girl is facing some sexual issues, for example, they may feel it’s weird to confide in their fathers and end up turning to Google for answers and eventually gets mislead by the internet (Javidi et al., 2019).
Availability. Two-parent families ensure the parents are available in their children’s lives. Two-parent families ensure the parents give love and affection to their children. The parents can escort their children to football games, swimming practice, baseball games, and other activities. If one of the parents happens to be busy, the other fills in for them. In a single-parent family where the parent has to work to provide for the family, they hardly have time to be around for their kids. Parents miss the important moments in their children’s lives. In some of the families, at some point, the relationship between the parent and the child deteriorates. The child may even develop issues such as depression due to feelings of neglect (Alloy et al., 2017). It is sad to say that sometimes it is beyond the parents’ reach as they have to work to provide for their children. Children are driven to depression due to neglect by their parent, who is too ‘busy’ to see the pain behind the smile. This eventually leads to increased cases of children involved in drug abuse. One mother went ahead to confess
“I hire a man to pretend to be my daughter’s dad- and she doesn’t know”.
This was to help the daughter was feeling depressed after the disappearance of her father. Research done by Branwen Jeffreys for BBC news indicated that approximately 27% of girls under single parenthood exhibit signs of high levels of depression.
Economic status. Research done by Suzanna Didier in 2017 on parenting showed that most of the households that depended on one income earner fell under the low-income bracket. In a two-parent family where both parents are income earners, the parents are in a better position to support their children. This means that children born under these circumstances are more likely to have better healthcare, education, and resources. These three cannot be taken lightly as they may determine the child’s future. A child exposed to mediocre health care is more susceptible to health risks, and if they are faced with an unfortunate accident. The costs incurred will be overwhelming to the family, or the chances of survival are minimal due to poor health cover (Akpor et al., 2018). The education instilled in a child is also important as it prepares them for the modern world. Good schools also increase the chances of landing a good job. This means that the single-parent family may short change the child since the low income creates a strain on the available resources, which could have otherwise been solved through the support of a partner.
Finally, a change in beliefs. When a child is raised well under a two-parent family, it brings back hope that the world will see its benefits and revert to it. The child will be raised to see the importance of having both parents around, and in the future, when the child is married and has a partner, they will be in a better position to resolve their differences and not divorce so that they can both be there for their children. The great value of two-parent families will be restored if such practices are fully embraced. Single-parent families are more likely to raise a child that feels it is okay to raise a child alone despite the sufferings they went through. The child grows up with the mentality ‘If my mum/dad did it, why can’t I?’ Children raised in two-parent families appreciate the love and care they were brought up with and wouldn’t want their children to miss out (Patterson et al., 2017).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the world needs to be aware of the benefits of two-parent families. It may seem like a minute problem, but in the end, it has severe effects on the children. It drives children towards depression, drugs, and sexual activities. People should refrain from activities such as divorce that promote the increase of single-parent families. Two-parent families provide a higher chance for a child’s brighter future.
References
Amato, P. R., & Patterson, S. E. (2017). Single-parent households and mortality among children and youth. Social science research, 63, 253-262. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X16300205
Bello, C. B., Irinoye, O., & Akpor, O. A. (2018). Health status of families: A comparative study of one-parent and two-parent families in Ondo State, Nigeria. African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 10(1), 1-8. Retrieved from: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2071-29362018000100054
Daryanani, I., Hamilton, J. L., McArthur, B. A., Steinberg, L., Abramson, L. Y., & Alloy, L. B. (2017). Cognitive vulnerabilities to depression for adolescents in single-mother and two-parent families. Journal of youth and adolescence, 46(1), 213-227. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10964-016-0607-y.pdf
https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/power-two-parent-home-not-myth
Mehryar, A. H., Khayyer, M., & Javidi, H. (2019). Comparison of personality traits of students of single-parent families, two children and many children. Iranian journal of educational sociology, 2(4), 6-6. Retrieved from: http://iase-idje.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-361-2&slc_lang=fa&sid=1
