Many people argue that the way a child is raised determines how he or she will end up in life. In her novel The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls tells the story of her own childhood and shows how the way her parents raised her and her siblings impacted their lives. The way her parents raised her and her siblings is viewed by many as unconventional and even absurd.
However, the Walls’ way of parenting helped their children immensely in the long run by causing their children to be ambitious and desire success, by impelling their children to have a sense of resourcefulness and the ability to fend for themselves, and by embedding a desire to learn and a value for knowledge in their children. As a result of their parent’s aimless attitudes about life, the Walls children become determined, successful people.
The entire Walls family was very talented and skilled, but the difference between the parents and children is that the children learn how to make something out of their talent instead of wandering with no real purpose in life like their parents. For example, in seventh grade Jeanette started writing for the school newspaper (which was a young age to do this), and Lori began selling posters that she made. They saw how their parents ended up, so they became determined and learned how to put their talents to use. The Walls grew up in an unstable environment created by their parent’s irresponsibility.
Consequently, the Walls children grew to desire stability in life. Jeanette, Lori, and Brian all end up with successful careers that had stable incomes as a result of their desire for stability. While describing her siblings’ careers, Walls writes “Lori was working as a freelance artist …Brian had joined the police force as soon as he turned twenty” (Walls 274).
The Essay on Is Daycare Beneficial For Children And Parents?
When you are a child, who takes care of you? Now, the cost of living is so high that many people under age twenty-five are moving back in with their parents. Young people are getting married later now than they used to. The average age for a woman to get married is about twenty-four, and for a man twenty-six. Newly married couples often postpone having children while they are establishing careers. ...
Walls herself was a writer for a weekly column in the newspaper. The Walls children’s motivation to have a stable lifestyle resulted in their successful careers.
On the contrary, one might argue that the youngest Walls daughter, Maureen, did not share this drive for success. However, Maureen spent most of her childhood with other families and did not experience the full effect of the unstable environment that the other Walls children were raised in. While Walls describes Maureen’s path in life, she writes that Maureen “graduated from high school and enrolled in one of the city colleges, but she never really applied herself and ended up living with Mom and Dad”(Walls 274).
Maureen never really had to put up with the crazy atmosphere that the other three Walls children grew up with. As a result, she did not share the ambition that the other Walls children possessed as a consequence of their childhood. Additionally, the Walls’ parenting resulted in their children’s sense of independence and resourcefulness. They learned to provide for themselves at an early age, which made living in New York alone an easy transition for them. For example, their mother did not provide them with enough food, so they learned to provide for themselves.
They dug through the trashcans at lunch, and they “became expert foragers…picked crab apples and wild blackberries during the summer and fall…”(Walls 172).
Many children would have whined and complained that they had no food. However, the Walls children figured out an early age that their mother was just not going to provide food for them, so they learned to fend for themselves. Another example of this is was that their parents did not provide a steady income for the family. The Walls children learned to provide for themselves in this area as well.
Jeanette babysat and worked at a jewelry store, Brian mowed lawns and Lori made posters. Because they developed these skills in their childhood, they easily adjusted to their independent life in New York where they were able to find education, jobs, and a place to live without any parental guidance. Again, Maureen did not develop these skills either because she grew up depending on other families. Consequently, she ended up latching on to her parents after high school. Furthermore, the Walls parents instilled in their children passion for learning and knowledge that ultimately benefitted them greatly.
The Essay on Children and the Single Parent
Single parenting begins with the divorce of a couple who have children. Approximately ninety percent of all minor children live primarily with their mothers. Non custodial fathers usually have less than biweekly contact with their children, and involvement usually declines as time goes by. Since most single-parent households are mother-headed, and have only one income, often below that of a man. ...
For instance, the mother greatly treasured art and literature and always placed a significant value on her artwork. Lori followed in her mother’s footsteps in this area. Walls describes how passionate Lori was for her art by stating “At home she read and painted late into the night, by candlelight or kerosene lamp if the electricity was turned off” (Walls 223).
Lori’s strong passion for art resulted in her having a successful career in the field. Another example of this is the father’s great support for Jeanette in her writing career.
The fact that he encourages her so much helps her to succeed in the field. Jeanette describes his attitudes towards her writing, even when she was far into her writing career, by stating “he became one of my most faithful readers, and would go to the library to research the people in the column, then call me with tips”(Walls 270).
His encouragement to her not only helps her with her career but also allows her to gain appreciation for wisdom and intelligence. Even though the Walls’ methods of parenting seem crazy and unreasonable, they actually have a positive effect on their children.
They cause their children to be driven to be successful, allow their children to be independent and self-sufficient, and inspire their children to have a love for knowledge and learning. While the Walls children’s childhood may have seemed horrifying, all of the chaos and negligence that the children suffered through actually benefitted them in the long run. By sharing her own life experience, Walls shows that although something may not be enjoyable at the time, it can be beneficial in ways that would never have been imagined.
