I say yes to the question 'Is the family as we knew it in Jamaica dead?' According to 'Mr Oxford', a family consists of 'parents and their children, sometimes including grandchildren and other relations. A group of things/people that are alike in some way.

Most of our mothers are themselves children, and, pardon me, the fathers are sperm donors with multiple partners and homes, no stability and family structure. Grandmothers are discovering their groove and still climbing the corporate ladder. With this, the children are left on their own for too long and often unsupervised.

The family must be seen as the first school for our children, to inculcate good morals and attitudes in them. Nowadays, however, only about 20 per cent of our family values and morals are alive.

The intricate part of the family has been broken down. For some of us, going home is comparable to Iraq. Children live what they learn from parents.

A very popular cliché, 'It takes a village to grow a child.' Every family in the community once looked out for each other and every child was seen as your own to love, protect and counsel if necessary.

No longer do we pray with our children or go to church as a family. A very vital ingredient has been left out of our family structure, the spiritual aspect.

Our priorities are not family oriented but instead, individualised.

Marcia Foster

mel32ja@yahoo.com