Humans of New York’s. Helping a Child from a Low-Income Family
One of the Humans of New York’s narratives tells about a kid from Ghana who was lucky enough to become friends with an American girl, Talia, who came here on vacation with her parents. He and his low-income family lived in a house without running water and electricity. The narrator and Talia had bonded by talking about school and their families (“I was just a neighborhood kid,” n.d.). The girl later went back home, but they agreed to correspond with each other. As a result, the young man was invited by her family to the US to study engineering at MIT. The Cassis family paid his tuition fees, and now he has his own company.
In terms of sociological imagination, the poverty issue of the narrator’s family is not their personal one. It actually a public issue caused by social problems that plague society and affects many others, especially in Ghana. Maybe his parents could do more for his wellbeing, but the primary problem lies in the government’s inability to provide principal utilities for its citizens. The Cassis family support helped the narrator to avoid the adverse influence of his surroundings, and he got a chance to turn his life around.
The Influence of Parents on the Child’s Recovery
The second story is about a couple that has a little son, Isaiah, diagnosed with autism. The author of the story, a mother of two, was frightened and doubted the bright future of her ill child, while his father, Jojo, never gave up. They resorted to an early intervention program that required therapists working with Isaiah (“It was just me,” n.d.). There was no noticeable breakthrough when the Covid-19 pandemic started and postponed further program’s sessions. It was a tough time for the narrator as she was always at home dealing with Isaiah’s meltdowns. Jojo then started to do sessions by himself, and their son miraculously began to progress.
From a sociological imagination perspective, it is clear that both Isaiah’s parents contributed massively to his advancement, while the pandemic became the leading cause and catalyst for the breakthrough. Nowadays, people are too busy working and maintaining their social life that they do not have enough time to dedicate to their loved ones. Jojo, who has a special connection with his son, spent free time caused by coronavirus restrictions with Isaiah, and the results have been immediate. The social system leaves less time to care in normal conditions.
References
I was just a neighborhood kid. (n.d.). Web.
It was just me and my son when I met Jojo. (n.d.). Web.