Social Problem in Lebanon
Introduction
Lebanon is an interesting country where people under the age of 30 years still live with their parents and depend on them financially. It is extremely difficult to define youths in the society. Interestingly, in other countries across the world, people above 18 years old often start fending for themselves. They do not depend on their parents. In fact, it is the other way round as parents begin depending on them for financial support. However, in Lebanon, this is an interesting social problem that needs to be addressed.
Young People Depending on Lebanese Parents
The most striking thing about social orientation and culture of the Lebanese is how young people, especially between 20 and 30 years of age, still depend on their parents for all the support they need. The more interesting part is that those parents do not see any problem in providing for their children even at advanced ages (Friedrich, 2012). In Lebanon, culture describes those that adequately support their children as good parents. In fact, the act is honorable and often referred to as good parenting. Mothers tend to wake up early, do laundry and prepare breakfast for their children and still meet all their other appointments. For that, after living in such an environment for long, it is tough for a person to move out of his or her parent’s house. There is a feeling that these children feel that they owe their parents for having done all things for them. They assert that it is only fair to move out of the house after marriage. On the contrary, it is alleged that American parents often kick their children out of the house the age of 18 (Baiz, 2011). However, analysts opine that these are just television portrayals (Baiz, 2011).
First, the social problem denies children the ability to be responsible members of the society. It denies them the chance of looking for jobs to support themselves and their parents. Finding a job at the age of 30 is the best thing to do. Socially, children should be under the care of parents until the age of 18 after which they should try to reciprocate. “When one starts working, gradually their parents should give them both financial and household responsibilities” (Barbara, 2012). The precedence set by the Lebanese culture is not good at all. It encourages young people to grow into lazy adults who must turn to their parents for even the most basic help.
Second, these children fail to learn life lessons and tenets of survival. Barbara (2012) asserts that a child who is unable to leave home at an advanced age should stop fooling themselves, and parents should desist from mollycoddling them. In an interview, a recently married individual complained that it was after marriage that she began understanding what life actually costs. Having lived with her parents for over 30 years, she had to make drastic adjustments to cope with life challenges. She recounted how she moved from where she was perceived as a princess to a situation where she had to do all house chores and still prepared and managed budgets by herself.
Third is a potential fall-out with peers and parents. According to Communicate Magazine, as long as a person still depends on his or her parents, they are referred to as children (Fry, 2013). Nonetheless, experts affirm that there is a generational change that is slowly sweeping across countries courtesy of social media platforms (Thea, 2017). Therefore, it is worth noting that there is a wide generational gap between children at 30 years and parents. Life is not the same as it was some years back. In most cases, parents may not be able to understand new ways of life. Even though Lebanese parents may not show it openly, they may not accommodate certain aspects of life. Parents may not think as we do, and we should not expect them to behave in a specific manner. Having them around all the time infringes on the privacy of children and greatly affects relationships yet to be established.
Solution
Lebanese social problems must have customized solutions. The problem of children living with their parents even after reaching the age of 30 years must amicably be addressed to instill some sense of responsibility. For the record, the culture supports the act and so to change the perception; society must appropriately address certain cultures and transform those that are doing a disservice to the children. Further, counseling sessions and awareness workshops should be organized to educate young people on the need to be dependent on their personalities. This will greatly challenge them to embrace new aspects of their lives without parental support. The younger generation should also be taken through life lessons to prepare them for the life ahead psychologically.
Conclusion
The culture is doing a disservice to children in Lebanon. They are treated like prince and princesses in their parents’ house while the life ahead is challenging. The young generation fails to be responsible, miss valuable life lessons and is put in precarious positions likely to end in fall-outs. A lot still needs to be done to transform this perception. Education and public awareness is the best starting point.
References
Baiz, D. (2011). “What type of parent are you going to be?” This is Beirut. Retrieved from,
https://thisisbeirut.wordpress.com/category/social-issues-in-lebanon/. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
Barbara, E. (2012). “Still living with your parents at 30? Get a life”. The Guardian. Retrieved
from, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/03/barbara-ellen-kick-out-stay-at-home-kids. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
Friedrich, E. S. (2012). Society, economy, and culture. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.
Retrieved from, http://www.feslb.org/socio-economic.php. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
Fry, R. (2013). A rising share of young adults lives in their parents’ home. Pew Research
Centre. Retrieved from, http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/08/01/a-rising-share-of-young-adults-live-in-their-parents-home/. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
Thea, D. G. (2017). “This is how living with your parents affects your relationship.”
Evening Standard. Retrieved from, https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/this-is-how-living-with-your-parents-affects-your-relationship-a3468576.html. Retrieved April 7, 2018.