Everyone can agree that a stable family background is most likely to Essay

Everyone can agree that a stable family background is most likely to deliver the enviroment that children need - Essay Example A stable family background, founded on marriage, and constituted of a mother and a father, provides the optimal environment for the child. It is the institution of marriage which provides the foundation for a stable family. Research has led to the consensus that â€Å"Families based on marriage are, on an average, healthier, wealthier, and more stable than any other family forms† (Civitas web site). Marriage contributes to the stability of the family and to the well-being of both adults and children in a plethora of ways. It ensures a mutual sense of responsibility towards the children and the sharing of resources. Children have a good relationship with their married parents, mainly due to the time spent together. Marriage increases the probability of the children themselves entering into stable marriages. Economically, marriage is linked to higher income and thus, a higher standard of living for the child. Children of married parents achieve greater academic success, earn university degrees and have high-status employment. These children also enjoy better physical health, have lower rates of alcohol and drug ab use, have fewer mental health problems, are less likely to indulge in delinquent behavior and are at less risk of experiencing child abuse (Civitas web site. Factsheets on the Family). The traditional family structure, composed of the two birth parents, contributes best to family stability and child well-being. Single parent families, which may be the result of bereavement, separation, divorce or bearing children outside wedlock, fail to meet the material and psychological needs of the child. Children of lone mothers have higher chances of living in poverty and deprivation, of getting into trouble at school, playing truant, being excluded and dropping out, having adjustment and socialization problems, being subject to physical, emotional or sexual abuse, indulging in smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, of running away from home and of becoming