Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A mother is more essential to a child’s upbringing than a father. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Suggestion Throughout history, parents have always been a vital part of a child’s upbringing. Indeed, the children who usually fare the worst in society are those who don’t have a mother or father. There is, however, some debate as to which parent is more crucial to a child’s development, and both sides have a case to make. What I intend to do throughout this essay is analyse both points of view, and come to a conclusion based on it. Although studies have shown that parental input from both sides is the best-case scenario, in terms of a child’s mental development, which is most vital? This is a difficult question to answer, not least because every family is different. In my family, for example, a case could be made for either parent. My mother is in charge of the house, including looking after myself and making sure I’m fed and at school. My father, on the other hand, is the primary breadwinner, which enables my mother to look after me more effectively. However, a better way to ask the question is, which of these parents could I more effectively survive without. The answer, in my particular case, would be my mother. There are many other family members who could help out my mother financially. However, my father isn’t very domesticated; he would have no idea how to raise me. This is a trend which carries over into many other families. In China, for example, a majority of people are raised primarily by their mothers, and typically, it is the father who works long hours to support his family, which, while admirable and necessary, means that he is not around very much to help her to develop personally. My friend Qing Li is a classic example of this. His father is a businessman who is often away on business trips, meaning that his mother is left to cook, clean up after and care for him. Of course, when his father comes home, he helps out as much as he can, but it just is not possible for him to have a lot of input in his psychological development. In summary, although a father is likewise vital to a child’s upbringing, a child could likely get by without one, in many cases. Generally speaking, the same could not be said for the mother. And while the ideal situation for a child is to have both parents on hand, I believe that a mother is more indispensable than a father.