Loving family members
Loving family members
A family is a group of people who are related to each other, specifically a mother,
a father and their children.
Types of family
- A nuclear family
This is a family of the father, the mother, and their children. - An extended family
This family consists of the parents, their children, and other relatives. - A childless family
This family consists of a husband and a wife living together with no children. - An orphan family
This is a family of children who live alone. They depend on themselves. Their parents have died
and there are no family members or friends to take care of them. - A grandparent family
This is a family of grandparents who live with their grandchildren. This is because the parents
are dead. - A single parent family
This family consists of one parent raising one or more children on his/her own due to death of
one parent - An adoptive family
This family consists of a husband and a wife living together without children of their own. The
husband and the wife decide to adopt children and raise them.
Needs of family members
Parents and guardians are the leaders of a family.
Children are required to observe and implement the instructions given by their
parents or guardians.
Every family member needs to be loved, respected and heard.
This leads to the building of good relationships in the family.
There are needs of family members with physical disabilities, blindness,
deafness, mental illness and albinism.
Moreover, family members who are sick or aged and those with behavioural
disorders have certain needs.
Furthermore, young children need close attention and care.
As family members, people with special needs should not be denied their rights.
We have a duty to love them and help them manage their lives.
Helping family members with special needs
A family member with special needs requires material support and a good environment
that enables him or her to live happily.
The kind of help that we can give them includes identifying their needs, encouraging them
and helping them to do what they cannot do on their own.
Groups of family members with special needs:
(a) Children
The kind of help this group of people needs includes:
Teaching and helped to take care of themselves.
For example, they should be taught and helped to wash their bodies, cross the road and
play in a safe environment.
(b) Elderly people
This group of people needs great attention and assistance from other family members.
The kind of help this group of people needs includes:
a) Carrying their luggage
b) Helping them to do and complete their manual work
c) Preparing their food
d) Washing utensils and their clothes
e) Cleaning their surroundings
f) Providing them with basic needs
(b) People with disabilities
Family members with disabilities should be helped so that they can take care of
themselves.
For example, other family members should help a blind person to understand the
environment in which he or she lives.
This environment includes washrooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, classrooms and play
grounds.
Study Figure 1 and then answer the questions that follow.
Exercise 1
- Identify the pupil with a special need shown in Figure 1.
- What kind of help is being given to the pupil shown in Figure 1?
- What have you learnt from Figure 1?
- What do you do to help the members of your family and community with such a
disability? - What kind of advice would you give your fellow pupils who do not want to help
people with special needs?
Valuing family members’ contributions to the well-being of the family:
Family relationships is divided into two main types
i. Families with good relationships
ii. Families with bad relationships
Families with good relationships:
These are families in which there is good communication between family members.
In order for a family to have good relationships, its members must value the
contributions and consider the Nneeds of each family member.
Families with bad relationships:
These are families with conflicts, misunderstandings and disrespect among family
members.
This situation usually leads family members not to value each member’s contribution
and interests.
How to build a family with good relationship?
i. Each member to contribute family development
ii. Each member to understands his or her responsibilities
iii. Each member to values the contributions of other family members.
iv. Children need to recognise the role of their parents and guardians in grooming
them
v. Parents are responsible for providing basic needs such as food, clothes, shelter,
education and health care to their children.
vi. children are required to do domestic chores which are appropriate to their age.
Such activities include
a) Helping parents to clean the surroundings,
b) Going to the market or shop to buy domestic needs
c) Taking care of young ones
d) Washing clothes
e) Fetching some water and obeying the directives given by elders
Acts of respect in the family
What is respect?
Respect is showing polite behaviour towards others.
Acts that show that one respects other people
a) Talking politely,
b) Greeting others with kindness,
c) Avoiding murmuring,
d) Tendering or apologising
e) Expressing appreciation for a service or help given
f) Dressing decently
Note
Respect begins with self-discipline which is seen in things like:
i. Proper dressing,
ii. Being obedient to principles and rules
iii. Being ready to forgive others
iv. Hard working
v. Using polite language
Exercise 3
- What acts, when done at school, will build a sense of respect in your family?
- At what time are we supposed to show respectful behaviour in thefamily?
- Why does everyone need to be respected?
Protecting family members from risky groups
Risky groups are people with inappropriate behaviour who can affect the development
of morality in a given family.
Examples of people with risky behaviour
a) Drug dealers
b) Rapists
c) Corrupt people.
d) Groups of people who abuse children through sex and child labour
e) People who mistreat the elderly and people with special needs.
Child protection
Children’s rights are stipulated in Child Law No. 13 of 2009 and in its amendment of
2014.
The law also includes the following responsibilities of a child:
a) Working for the cohesion of the family;
b) Respecting his or her parents, guardians and elders all the time and assisting
them if they need help;
c) Serving his community and nation by using his physical and intellectual abilities
in accordance with his or her age and ability;
d) Preserving and strengthening social and national cohesion; and
e) Preserving and strengthening the positive cultural values of his or her community
and of the nation at large in relation to other members of the community or the
nation.
children’s rights are included in the law.
the right to protection from torture and sexual harassment. If children are not protected
and guided, they can easily join risky groups and be physically and mentally affected.
Therefore, a child’s other responsibilities include the following:
(a) Personal protection: No child should imitate inappropriate behavior which is
against the morals of the society even if the people we trust have such
behaviour;
(b) Take precautions: Every child should take precautions, especially when he or
she is away from his or her family.
(c) Report crimes: Every child must report to relevant authorities anything that happens
to him or her.
Exercise 4
- Mention the responsibilities of a child mentioned in Child Law No. 13 of 2009.
- List three negative effects of risky groups on a family.
- What would you do to protect yourself and other people from joining risky peer
groups?
Exercise 5
Part A: Write True for a true statement and False for a false statement.
Write your answers in your exercise book. - All family members have similar needs.
- People with special needs have to protect themselves.
- A child has no right to protection.
- The needs of family members may vary, but people with special needs have similar
needs. - Apologizing shows that we respect the people we have hurt.
- Children cannot have risky behavior.