Gary Soto Model Family Essay

Family and education affect the life decisions we make and leave a lifelong impact on one’s lives by establishing the foundation for our beliefs. In an effort to provide the best for their children, parents often have an ideal family and education structure they adhere to, but is there only one specific structure that will benefit the child the most? Most parents would strive to create the model family. The myth of the model family is the popularized family structure that consists of a working father as head of the household and a homemaking mother, but in modern society, the model family is rarely seen due to the LGBT movement and the advocacy for women’s rights. In addition to trying to create the model family, parents also strive to give their children the best education within their means. Most

parents enroll their children in public schools that were deemed acceptable by the state and encourage their children to attend well known universities.

However, well known universities fail to prioritize their students’ education and public schools nowadays fail to provide a balanced curriculum and extracurricular activities, focusing solely on raising standardized test scores. Looking closely to deviants to the model family and education proves that children can grow into successful adult in different environments.
The myth of the model family was immensely popular and virtually affected most families in some way. Television shows publicized the idea of the model family and its influence spread to both parents and children. In “Looking for Work” by Gary Soto, a young Soto tries to persuade his family to live like the family portrayed on the television shows he watches. While conversing with his siblings, Soto says, “They might not hate us so much” (23), referring to middle class families in his neighborhood. He hopes that by mimicking the life he see on television his family will more acceptable to others, displaying the typically reasoning for following the model family structure. First time parents often need

reassurance and guidance when raising a family, fearing ridicule from others, and the myth of the model family serves as a guide for these parents. However, in modern society, the model family is no longer the standard families; single parent families and same sex parent families are increasing in number and are becoming more common, but there are those who still question the welfare of children in these types of families. According to Nadia Kounang in “‘No Difference’ Between Children of Same Sex and Opposite Sex Parents,” previous studies that claimed that gay parents leave a negative impact on children did not compensate for children that had lived through negative conditions like divorce or adoption, and a new study shows that “there were no differences in the children when it came to their general health, their emotional difficulties, their coping behaviors and their learning behaviors” (Kounang). Even in single parent families, studies show that “family instability, lack of structure, and inconsistent enforcement of parental standards” negatively affects children more than having only one parent (“Single Parent Families”). Raising a child in a family that does not follow the model family does not necessarily mean the child will not grow up to be a successful adult; in fact it can benefit the child’s development. By raising the child in different environments, the child will get the chance to gain a unique perspective point of view about the world. Their upbringing can allow them to develop a deeper understanding for others’ opinions and can lead to better critical thinking skills. In addition to their upbringing, the quality of their education can bolster a child’s critical thinking skills and parents encourage their children to attend good quality schools.