Catabay. Elijah Florienne Kyle T.

1FM5

Challenging Situations of the Family

1. Unemployment

There are some factors that causes unemployment such as structural, frictional and cyclical types
of unemployment. This occurs due to some situations wherein workers mismatch their skills due
to some changes and immobilities, some lose their jobs due to the downturns of the company,
some takes time to move between jobs and many more. These affect families most especially if
unemployment happens with the parents or at least the breadwinner of the family. This challenge
is a big factor in a family since unemployment means a financial poverty and an inability to buy
basic necessities. With this situation, it’s not just the daily needs that is being affected but also
the relationship between the husband and wife and the children as well if problem occurs.

2. Migration

This correlates with the unemployment stated above, some families engaged with migration to
solve unemployment here in our country so they seek jobs from other places, other countries
rather. My father is an OFW and as a child of an OFW parent, I can say that this affects my family
so much. I will not go into details anymore but all I can say, this is one of the big challenges that
we face ever since he went abroad when I was in the age of 6. I understand how other children
with an OFW parent feel whenever they send their parents to airport after spending 1 month of
vacation and how much they long for the presence of their parents during special events that they
spend apart. This breaks my heart so much but I know my father has been doing this to give us
the best life he could ever give.

3. Families with Elderly

Another challenge that my family personally face with everyday is families with elderly. I live
under the roof of my grandparents (including the sisters of my grandmother) and my parents as
well since birth. This challenges my family so much because there are some decisions that are
being affected instead of my parents decide for us, my other grandparents do rather. Since,
respect for the elderly is a must for us, their decisions became superior that made my parents’
decisions nullified ‘cause they think the one who’s older has the better experience in decision
making. As much as we love and respect them, for me it’s better if we separate our home with
the extended family so the parents with their children can have their own decisions and be fully
responsible with their own family.

4. Families with Special Needs

Families with special needs is a challenge but not a problem. If I were to have a child in the future
with special needs, I will treat him/her just like a normal kid and I will not make my child feel that
he/she isn’t normal. I salute families who love the uniqueness of their child and accept their whole
identity. But they cannot control as the child grows up, there are some people who crtiticizes and
judges these special wonderful beings for being the way they are. There is absolutely nothing
wrong for being special because we are born in this world created with love and as a child of God
we are all special and unique in our own ways.
 5. Single-parent Families

This due to broken relationships of the father and the mother so as a result, only one parent
stays and raises their child or children. This is a heartbreaking situation for a child who was
raised by a single parent because there is part of them that is missing since they are longing for
the presence of the other parent. On the other hand, this is a big challenge for the single parent
act both the mother and the father to their children. Instead of finding a new lover, the single
parent should rather focus his/her attention to the children and give the best love and care for
them. This isn’t easy but raising a family alone is not a problem at all but a blessing.

Stampita about Migration

Dear Lord,

Thank you for all the blessings

that you have provided in my
family. Not just with the material
things that we have right now,
but I want to thank you for
keeping us safe all the time. I
wish to guide our family as we
live happy and healthy forever.
Keep us safe even if we live apart
most especially my father who is
working abroad. I know things Catabay Family
will get better in time and I hope
someday, I would be able to New Year 2019
(spent through videocall)
provide so that we’ll be no longer Philippines x United States of America
needing to be apart. Material
things are temporary but I know
living with you as a center of our
family relationship is eternal.

Amen.