Atticus Control Essay

“Everybody knows how to raise children, except the people who have them” – P. J. O’Rourke. People can easily say what a good parent should do, until they have to put those words into action. Starting parents tend to be truly clueless of what to do and how to do things about their children, but there are a few theories on how to deal with children as they grow older. The first would be for parents to realize the necessity of taking control over the actions of their children, regardless if they were intentional or not, and see it as an opportunity to teach their children responsibility. Second, parents need to understand that the child’s self-esteem should not play a factor in the actions/decisions of the parent. And finally, parents may think …show more content…
There are plenty of parenting examples that exemplify this, one would be Atticus Finch. As he discovers that Jem has destroyed Mrs. Dubose’s camellias, he tells Jem to confront Mrs. Dubose and since Jem doesn’t move, he says, “‘Go on’” (Lee 119). Atticus understands that Jem would not willingly confront Mrs. Dubose and so instead he takes it upon himself to be the motive to force Jem to go. This exhibits how Atticus’s control of the situation demands Jem to take responsibility for his actions and demonstrates how parents should take responsibility of the actions of their children. Similarly, a case would be Joe’s father. As Joe plays baseball, he breaks one of the neighbor’s windows and now his dad is making him work to pay off the damages (“Parenting Survey” 1). Joe’s father illustrates how parents can contribute to effectively teaching their children by taking control and pressing responsibility onto them so that they can learn to handle it. Like Atticus, Joe’s father does not let his son get away with his actions, even if it was on purpose or not, and urges responsibility onto his son. In the same manner, another example can be an approach towards a child’s education. Chua describes how children wouldn’t want to work on their own and that they need someone (a parent) to override their preferences (2). Chua is encouraging parents to have control over what their children do in order to help them succeed. She is emphasizing that the parents’ motivation on their children will help them to start working more willingly, and in turn, makes them become more responsible for their work and their practice. These models of parents all demonstrate how the exercise of control can benefit both the parents and the children; it gives the main power and authority to the parents and teaches their children the importance of