A Filipino Family Issue

Working at a far place and leaving the country means detachment from family members. It also means depriving one’s self of guiding children and watching them grow. Many things are indeed sacrificed when one does work in a faraway place. That is, one of the most prevalent problems of Filipino families today is unwanted separation due to job demands.

Moreover, this is an issue for a family because of several reasons. First, during periods of family separation, children may have feelings of abandonment, loss of love, and resentment. Lack of supervision and guidance can lead to undesirable behavior patterns and habits. Sometimes children and youth exhibit unusual behavior while a parent is away from home for extended periods of time. These behavior problems can be manifested in such ways as being disruptive, being continually depressed, or seeming to reject love and kindness. That is, some children can go astray as to engaging into illegal drugs and destructive vices such as drinking hard liquors and smoking and hanging out with friends that are of bad influence. Secondly, there can be a tendency for either the spouse at home or the one who’s working to establish association with single adults. In other words, extra-marital affairs can flourish. When life gets lonely, it is most likely for either of the two to succumb into temptations. Thirdly, though relatives are there, it is difficult for a spouse especially the one left at home to handle a crisis alone. Sadly, these implications that I mentioned really is happening in reality. That’s why no one can argue that this is indeed a problem.

Perhaps, this occurrence is mainly caused by the unstable economic situation in the Philippines, high unemployment rate and low and unsatisfactory salaries that are offered by local companies. These causes are mainly at the government’s hands to solve.

But the consequences brought about by the problem of parents’ unwantedly separating from their families due to job demands is for the members of the family to adapt and solve. This having said, I believe that this issue can be addressed through maintaining communication. Communication between the one working in a far place and their families is extremely important to ensure that family members stay connected and involved in each other's lives. That is, they could still have the chance to guide their children and talk to their spouses. This can be done through e-mail messages, telephone calls, letters Facebook chats, and in some cases, Internet video communications such as Skype. Regular communication helps alleviate family anxiety and concern over the welfare of the one separated. Also, communications can be great sources in helping the one separated remain inspired, faithful and resist temptation.