Childhood and Adolescence Paper

There are many changes in middle childhood and adolescences before reaching adulthood. These changes began when the parent recognizes responsibly when the child wants to have more roles or duties. One simple result is that school-age children can provide most of their own care. They can not only feed themselves but also make their own dinner, not only dress themselves but also pack their own suitcases for a trip, not only walk to school but also organize games during recess. Those are some of examples of a child growing and maturing to prepare for life. Functional and dysfunctional families will determine how a child will adapt in the environment of adulthood.

There is a difference between functional and dysfunctional families growing up as a child. A dysfunctional family is one in which the relationships between the parents and children are tense and unnatural. This is usually because one of the family members has a serious problem that impacts every other member of the family, and each member of the family feels forced to adapt uncommon roles within the family to allow the family as a whole to survive. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, children will experience trauma and pain at a young age from parents’ actions, words, and attitudes towards the family. This trauma will cause children to grow up different from other children (Berger, K. S., 2010). Some children will miss the important parts of childhood because the child will be forced into unnatural roles within the family. Later growing up into adolescence the child will turn to alcohol or drugs to relieve the pain (Berger, K. S., 2010). In a functional family, traditions, communication styles, behavioral patterns and emotional relationship all influence the dynamics between family members (Berger, K. S., 2010). The ways in which members of a family interact with each other and in relation to the group as a whole are often referred to as family dynamics.

Genes, peers, and communities each make a major...