What are the important qualities of a good son or daughter? Have these qualities changed or remained the same over time in your culture?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
There are many excellent qualities a good son or daughter should possess, but these qualities are rarely the same from culture to culture. Just as with other aspects of life, such as work, family, or religion, the qualities a good son or daughter should have are constantly evolving. The qualities listed below, while universally needed, vary enormously from culture to culture. While Confucianism places a great deal of emphasis on filial piety and respect for one’s parents, for example, modern Western societies place very little emphasis on these qualities, and success depends instead on individual effort.
While it is true that a general set of values or characteristics that make up a good son or daughter are universal, the means by which these characteristics are achieved are far less so. It is important to note that different cultures have different priorities when it comes to child-rearing. For example, in Confucian societies, children are raised to be obedient and respectful of their parents. This is at the expense of all other pursuits, including the pursuit of knowledge and the education of the child, and the child is raised to believe that he or she is indebted to the parent for his or her life. Conversely, in the Western world, children are raised to be independent and self-sufficient, and are not taught to respect their parents unless they demonstrate respect themselves. Whether or not a child is obedient or respectful depends on his or her upbringing. A Western child may grow up to be obedient and respectful, or rebellious and disrespectful. Another aspect of child-rearing that varies widely is the attitude towards religion. While some cultures place a heavy emphasis on religion, others do not. Children raised in a strictly religious family in a non-religious society may grow up to be atheists, while children raised in a secular home may grow up to be devout believers. The values instilled in a child depend on both the child’s upbringing and the culture of the family.
There is also a great deal of variation among cultures in the types of jobs available to children. While Confucian societies place a great deal of emphasis on education, not all children have the opportunity to attend university. In today’s world, children may be expected to work to support themselves. Some jobs, such as manual labor, may not be suitable for children, especially if they have physical limitations. However, jobs such as medicine, engineering, or science may be suitable for children, and in some societies children are encouraged to pursue careers in these areas. Some cultures, such as Japan, place a great deal of emphasis on education, but children are expected to start working as soon as they finish school to help support their families.
Other ways of raising children have also changed considerably over time. In earlier times, children of slaves and servants were often sold into slavery or servitude. Children were also expected to be obedient to their elders and to provide for their families. Today, children are raised to believe that they are entitled to a standard of living similar to or better than that of their parents. They are taught that they should have certain rights, and they are expected to do whatever is necessary to obtain these rights. As a result, children today expect more from their lives than that of their parents did, and parents are obligated to provide for their children in ways that they did not need to provide for their own children.
The qualities listed above are just a sample of the many attributes that children need. The ways in which children acquire these attributes tend to vary from culture to culture, and it is difficult to identify a universal set of characteristics. The attributes that are most important to a parent, however, are the same for every child. A child who is obedient, respectful, and has a high regard for his/her parents is also a child with a sense of duty towards his or her family. These attributes are what parents want their children to have, regardless of the culture in which the child was raised.