▶ Your Answer :Without doubt,
living environment is of key importance in people’s lives. Some people think
that the extended family is not as important now as before, but others do not.
Both sides may have their own reasons to support their views. If I were asked
to choose one, I would say that the extended family is still important as much
as before. My rationale is founded upon following reasons. First of all, when
children grow in the extended family, it can improve their sense of responsibility.
Living in the extended family requires many obligations because there are many
people who have to live with together, which means that every family member tries
not to annoy others. When children live in the environment, they tend to
realize the importance of abiding by rules. For example, when I was 5 years
old, I was very spoiled child. At that time, I had lived with only parents
without siblings. Because my parents allowed me to do anything I want, I did
not know others feelings. However, when my grandparents moved into my house and
started to live together, I was scolded a lot by grandparents. After that, I
should manage time of a family gatherings and clean up rooms. Finally, I realized
that I was never scolded grandparents and my family member and I became very
happy. Without living with my grandparents, I would never know about the
responsibility.
Besides, the
extended family can help parents earn more money. Even though the number of the
extended family is larger than that of the nuclear family, grandparents
generally have saved money, which means that parents do not have to support the
grandparents. Also, both parents can have job because grandparents can take
care of their children. In case of the nuclear family, either father or mother
should look after their kids, which are likely to prevent one of parents from
having a job. For example, according to a study conducted by Seoul National
University in 2017, two groups of families showed a huge difference in their
house incomes. One group consisted of the extended families containing
grandparents, parents, and more than two kids, and the other group was made up
of the nuclear families containing only parents and more than two kids. The researcher
found that average of income of the former was twice of that of the latter. Most
of the parents in the first group have their own jobs, while many mothers in
the second group cannot have their jobs. This implies that the extended family
can earn more money than the nuclear family.
To sum up, I firmly
believe that the advantages of the extended family far outweigh those of the
nuclear family for the reasons I have mentioned above. All in all, I feel that the
extended family is still important even though the number of the extended
family is decreasing these days. |