Summary
Advocacy is an integral part of social work, and it presents its distinguishing feature. It implies the position when a professional is engaged in purposeful actions, which are intended to advance people’s interests, opportunities, legal rights, and others. Advocacy is perceived as an effective approach for improving the living standards, family dynamics, functioning in enterprises, and other issues. This way, the purpose of this paper is to formulate a persuasive argument in order to find a solution for a practical case.
Hart City Middle school is an educational institution for children, who reside in Hart City and its neighborhood. Advanced human services professional practitioners are among the employees of the school, who are responsible for discussing and addressing schoolchildren’s concerns. One of them regards the organization of a Mother’s Day celebration. This day implies a thorough preparation process and participation in various performances. However, there are students, who live in single families and do not have mothers. Therefore, they are not capable of celebrating this holiday in the same way as other students. This way, it is evident that a sensitive attitude to such categories of students should be implemented.
The aforementioned circumstances may result in negative consequences for children from single families in the long run. First of all, it is essential to cover the psychological aspect of this issue. It is a common sight that children tend to perceive the loss of a parent and his or her absence painfully. Mohsen marks: “if one parent is absent, the remaining parent may be loving and kind and do their best to fulfill the child’s needs” (2019, para. 4). However, she also states that “the missing parent’s absence will still affect a person, not only when they are young, but as an adult” (2019, para. 4). Consequently, the inability to participate in the celebration may aggravate the situation to a large extent.
In addition, it should be noted that all the children may perceive the absence of a parent in a different way. Although there are some students, who are highly likely to overcome this situation and strengthen their character, there are also ones, who may have serious psychological problems. For instance, there is a probability of developing an inferiority complex or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Such diagnoses prevent from becoming a healthy and mature personality and cause numerous problems with self-esteem and communication with peers.
Another situation, that school administration may encounter implies the fact that there are children, who do not have parents at all. They may be fostered by grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and caretakers. Such a category of students is also willing to express their gratitude and appreciation to the people, who contribute to their upbringing, though they cannot participate both in Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Therefore, the necessity to address this pressing concern is undeniable. Moreover, there is a sufficient solution in order to fulfill the needs of all the children, who are both from single and nuclear families. For instance, an option of organizing a Thanksgiving Day for everyone, who participates in fostering children. In this case, children will have an opportunity to demonstrate their appreciation to all the family members they are determined. In addition, the students from single and adoptive families may also become active participants in the celebration. The strongest argument in support of this solution involves the fact that it is more honest to appreciate the contribution of each family member, who children will choose.
Reference
Mohsene, L. (2019). The emotional impact of absent parents on children. P.S. I Love You. Web.