| In a career in which one would work directly with families and children, it is important for the professional, in such a career, to know about all the different aspects of child and family development, and for that professional to have a philosophy for working with children and families. To form that philosophy, there are many questions one must answer. Those questions include; how do families and children grow; how do families and children function; how do families and children change; and how can I help families and children to function optimally. The first of those questions is; how do families and children grow? Well, it is obvious that children grow from babies to adults in a biological way and families grow by adding new offspring. However, that isn�t exactly what this question means. What it wants to know is how do children and families grow in so much as they grow emotionally and as a whole. The ideal family grows from a desire to form and add to its number, new family members. Through cooperation of the family unit, they grow together as a family in quality but not necessarily quantity. Children grow biologically of course, but it is their growth into adults that is the most important growth of all. The functioning of the family unit has a direct impact on how children grow. A family unit that is loving and supportive will �grow� children that will be similar and more likely to fit into the mold of society than those that are not. There are other factors that influence the growth of the family and its children as a whole. Economic opportunities give the adults of the family a chance to work and save which lends to a sense of satisfaction and a better ability to provide for the children (Nelson, 2000). Strong social networks that help families feel connected and formal supports and services that are available to families also influence the growth of children and their families (Nelson, 2000). By having such things available to them, a family is more likely to seek out services it might need for help, more likely to try harder to do well because they know that they have those strong social networks to fall back on, and are more likely to function better as a whole than they would otherwise. The next important question that a person must answer in order to help them form their philosophy is; how do families and children function? It is through their interactions with one another, interactions with their society, culture, and the world as a whole that influence how a family and its children function. For instance, in a family that has adopted a child or children, the degree of openness the parents have with the child (ren) about the adoption can �present different relational contexts which adoptive identity development occurs� as well as familial development (Grotevant; Dunbar; Kohler; Lash Esau, 2000). The interactions that a family has with each other can then influence the interactions the family might have with their culture, society, and the world around them. If a family is secretive among its members and as a whole keeps to itself, then their functionality outside of the family will be similar if not the same as inside. The opposite of this is true as well. The family that is open, caring, and concerned about one another will more than likely be that way in society and their culture. The way in which families grow and function plays a role in how they change. Of course there is a desire to grow in numbers which in and of itself is change. However a desire to grow and function optimally influences how a family might change as well as society and culture being put into the equation. If a family desires to grow, but at the same time function well together, then the growth will of course cause the family to expand. This expansion of the family then alters, or changes the way in which they go about their everyday lives and in order to keep that optimum level of functioning, they must work hard to remain the way they wish to be. When society or cultural ideals change (such as the decline of the job market or the ability of a culture to accept gay and lesbian marriages) the families within that society and culture must change as well if they wish to remain where they are at. If they do not want to change along with culture and society then they can be ostracized by the others and made to feel unwelcome. By changing to fit with what is accepted, a family and its children are better able to manage their lives and function amongst the changes that are taking place. Keeping in mind the questions of how do families and children grow, function and change, the remaining question, which could in and of itself be considered the professionals philosophy, is the last and most important one to answer. The professional must ask themselves, �How can I help families and children to function optimally,� Granted, function is the word that stands out the most in this question. However, change and growth directly affect the functioning of a family unit. There are several ways that can be utilized to help children and families function at their greatest potential. Those ways can include, leading them to resources that can help them through their problems (such as SRS or WIC), educating them about what resources are available as well as how to function so that everyone is happy, listening to them, and becoming culturally competent. The biggest and most important of these ways is becoming culturally competent. With the huge melting pot of cultures that is America today, being competent in your knowledge of other cultures is essential to understanding and helping families. Since many families, especially inner city ones (which typically need the most help), are of different cultures, knowing at least the basics about the other cultures is always a good idea. |