An Essay on Parent/Child Relationships

The misunderstandings between parents and their children have gone back as far as there have been families. Two good examples of this can be found in The Veldt by Ray Bradbury and Penny in the Dust by Ernest buckler. The differences in parenting methods are quite plain to see when looking at communication, trust and respect. In The Veldt communication is definitely lacking in the sense that the family never really deals with any deep issues. The parents never ask their kids directly what is bothering them, instead they go to a psychiatrist. This would make Peter and Wendy feel neglected and more importantly they would feel as if they had no parents. The kids don’t help too much either however, they never tell their parents what’s bothering them, instead they turn to their nursery and use it as their guardian, their home away from home, or their parent away from their parents. In Penny in the Dust there are less serious problems with communication. Peter and his father have a unique bond that is not unhealthy but could use some work. They both understand each others need for space and do not upset each other with deep psychological talk. Peter is not spoiled or pampered but feels loved all the same. And unlike The V

Their parents trust them to do whatever they wish in the nursery, they trust them to be at a carnival alone and miss supper. In The Veldt, Peter and Wendy receive too much trust and freedom. Therefor, communication, trust and respect are both very important factors in both The Veldt and Penny in the Dust. The family doesn"tmt function as a family but more like a couple. I feel however that this story is based more on the fatherson relationship then the parentchild relation ship because not much of Peter"tms mother is talked about in this story. I don"tmt think the parents much respected their children either, they showed this by threatening to turn off the nursery and even the whole house without even discussing it with the kids. Peter trusts his dad to work hard for the family and keep them alive, and the dad trusts Peter enough to be given a shiny new penny. eldt, Peter and his dad have a communication breakthrough after they find the penny. However, they are both viewed differently by each family and both families turned out completely different. Both families have their problems with communication, this may root down to trust. Trust ties in with one other big role in relationships, respect. One instance of this would be the kids louring their parents into a trap and eventually killing them. Peter didn"tmt trust his father enough to tell him that he had lost the penny and his father thought that Peter thought he was going to get a beating, so the father didn"tmt trust that his son trusted him. Respect is another huge issue for the parents and kids in The Veldt.