As mentioned in the last post, a recent WHO report pointed out that Western familes are more mobile than ever before, and the support networks of extended family are no longer as readily available to young parents.
An extension of this problem may be that many young people grow up without having participated in the care and nurturing of younger cousins, or without the multi-generational influences that teach by example. Do these factors contribute to the creation of a generation that is ignorant about the needs of infants and young children?
The first needs of human beings include cuddling, healthy touch and gentle, affectionate stimulation. Unfortunately, too many children suffer the consequences of complete neglect or from high doses of the wrong kind of stimulation, the effects of which can reverberate in a family for generations.
Psychologists speculate that they may currently be seeing the effects of increased attachment problems. I recently spoke with Louis Cozolino, author of The Neuroscience of Human Relationships, a clinical psychologist who is also a professor at Pepperdine University. "When you have inadequate attachment," says Cozolino, "—and society isn't really set up to allow people the time and the space to raise their children and be present with their children in order to establish that attachment—then I think kids are more vulnerable. I don't get a sense that there's a lot of attachment security, certainly not in the people that I work with. Of course, it's not a random sample but a clinical sample, but it certainly seems that adults are not coming out of childhood feeling safe in the world. As a result, people seem to be having difficulty creating connections."
I enjoyed reading the posts on your blog. I see this all around me, children that are not properly bonded with their parents and extended family. We live in an isolated society with few deep relationships outside our homes. Neighborhoods have broken down to the point we don't know who our neighbors are and families are separated with hundreds of miles between the nearest relative. It makes it difficult to raise children who are truely connected to anything execpt themselves.
Its great seeing the world, but I do wonder sometimes if the cost is too great.
One the greatest losses my wife and I experienced when we moved abroad was the loss of our support network: grannies, uncles, cousins etc. Raising a family is tough without all of that and I think the children lose out in social terms as you describe and in educational terms - their grandparents should be around to pass on their life experiences!
Its great seeing the world, but I do wonder sometimes if the cost is too great.
Hello Gina. Although I am single, I am interested in sociology and the state of family and relationships in the USA and world. See ya around BlogCatalog.
Hi! I read this with great interest. It has reminded me of another area that is lacking today. With our busy lives and all that comes with it trying to survive, the older generation are being pushed to the side and forgotten in this process. All too often we hear stories of the elderly being found dead at home well after the event. What is lacking is the continued support of the elderly well after their family and friends have passed on themselves. Am I asking too much? I think not - regards Peter
I agree, Peter--this is a subject that deserves more discussion. A friend of mine wrote recently on elder abuse, which is a related topic, and I hope to bring that up in an upcoming blog post.
As mentioned in the last post, a recent WHO report pointed out that Western familes are more mobile than ever before, and the support networks of extended family are no longer as readily available to young parents. 
