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Being A Child In America Essay

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In most American cultures children are perceived to be precious aspects of life. They are often referred to as the future of the world. As a result of their inability to care for themselves they are considered to be the responsibility of parents, teachers, and society. These individuals are trusted to care for and protect children. As society changes so does the role of the child as well as the problems children have to face early in life. In America we have discovered that the child’s role in the family has changed. Some may think that children have more rights than the parents who are raising them. However, is this the case for other countries as well?
This review of literature is designed to compare the lives of children in China …show more content…

Some are forced to care for themselves as well as siblings at very young ages. Children who come from stressful home situations have a greater chance of having a difficult time in school. Whether it be from lack of academic ability or lack of motivation, these children have a greater chance of prematurely dropping out of school. Petrick (2014) stated, “Each year 1.3 million students fail to graduate dropping the United States’ high school graduation rate to 69%. One of the most salient predictors of high school dropout is socio-economic status, which makes important an improved understanding of the reasons why SES affects educational outcomes”.
In contrast many of the children who are in poverty in China are children who were “left behind” by their parents. In 2013 it was reported that over 61 million children in China were left behind by their parents (Zhao, Chen, Chen, Lv, Jiang, & Sun, 2014). As a result of the lack of work available in rural areas, Chinese parents are forced to leave their children with other family members in order to relocate to find work within the cities surrounded rural communities. Because of these unfortunate situations and living arrangements, these children are faced with increased anxiety and a lower quality of

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