There is an old saying: "It takes a village to raise a child". In today's society of multiple marriages, relationships, step- and half-families, family reunions can indeed look like a village. Yet, in these families, as well as in other, smaller, nuclear families, or in single parent families, the most important aspect is whether or not the parents are involved in the development of their child.
Contrary to recent articles and books by Judith R. Harris indicating otherwise, because of their dependency on the adults in their lives, children will always be effected by their parents (Azar, 2000). After all, "parents are a child's first and most important teachers" (Fuentes, Cantu, & Stechuk, 1996, p. 16). The question is, however, how will they be effected and to what degree. For this reason, parental involvement in all areas of the child's life, from helping with homework, to getting to know their friends, to understanding how the parents can participate in the school, is crucial in the development of a healthy and well-adjusted child. Frank Furstenberg, Jr.(1999), in an article about society and the family, asserts that it is not so much the structure of the family in question that is important as is the fact that the parents, or primary caregivers can "occupy a stable presence in the child's life, are competent care givers, [and] are willing to invest resources in the child (Furstenberg, Jr., 1999, p. 31).
Sometimes this involvement means getting outside support, especially for single parents or in homes where both parents must work. That support could be in the form of teachers understanding the time constraints on parents and setting up parent/teacher conferences on either weekends or evening. It could also mean teachers or other instructors involved in the child's activities sending out periodic newsletters. However it is done, it is critical that parents get involved and stay involved in their child's life. This pro...