Major Challenges Facing Families in an
Independent Bahamas
By Barrington H. Brennen, July 2, 2025
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As we celebrate the 52nd Independence
of The Bahamas, we are grateful for what we have
done so far. We have come a long way.
Independence gave rise to the
establishment of important institutions that are
integral to the nation's health and prosperity.
For example, the National Insurance Board and
The Central Bank, to name a few. However, there
is one institution that is much older than our
nation that is causing great challenges and
preventing our country from truly thriving.
This institution is the central core unit of The
Bahamas—the family.
Writer Tim LaHay reminds us of the importance of
the family with these words. “The family is the
most important single factor in the molding of a
human being (the nation). It either prepares one
to reach for his or her ultimate destiny and
fulfillment, or it cripples and inhibits one
from attaining his or her potential.” I hasten
to say that the crippling of our nation has its
genesis in weakening of the Bahamian family.
This weakening did not just start a few years
ago. It has its beginning rooted in the archaic
philosophies, crippling traditionalism, and
false religious beliefs passed down through many
generations. Hence, today, the modern Bahamian
family is facing serious challenges some of
which we have inherited. These challenges are
impacting the workforce, education system, and
health and human services in our country.
With the limited space I have to write, I will
briefly share a few of the challenges I believe
are inhibiting the development of healthy
families and our nation in an independent
Bahamas.
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Parents of yesteryear did not parent so
their children could parent others and those
children can effectively parent others. The
modern Bahamas inherited this problem. The
parenting style of yesteryear did not foster
the transition of learning. Most parents
were authoritarian. They ruled with power
and might and not wisdom and love. Hence,
their method of parenting did not provide
information for wrongdoing, nor respect for
the child’s opinions and feelings. Hence,
the child would not have any knowledge of
what he or she can intelligently transmit to
his or her children about a certain
wrongdoing. Consequently, today’s parents
are following the same authoritarian
parenting methods and reaping poor results.
The poor parenting skills have led to
indolent, troubled youth and dysfunctional
family units. Poor methods of discipline,
reinforced by spiritual beliefs, are driving
are children up a wall of anger and
indifference. Too many of our children and
being painfully and seriously beaten,
leading to serious feelings of anger and
revenge.
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The lack of functional literacy. Far
too many of our adults and youth cannot read
or write intelligently. This impacts
cognitive processing and effective decision
making, and employment. In the 2023 article
titled “How Low Literacy Affects the Ability
to Perform Daily Tasks” the writer states:
“The absence of functional literacy, which
is the ability to use reading, writing, and
numeracy skills to function effectively in
daily life, leads to significant challenges
in various aspects of life, including
employment, income, and overall
well-being. Individuals with low functional
literacy often experience higher rates of
unemployment and earn significantly less
than their literate counterparts. This can
perpetuate a cycle of poverty, hindering
access to opportunities for personal and
societal advancement.” Readers, are you
getting the picture?
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Lack of intrapersonal intelligence.
In my 2019 article entitled “Managing
Conflict,” I wrote: “What determines how one
manages perceived or actual conflicts is
first how one feels about him or herself.
In other words, predictors of healthy
conflict management and even crime
prevention are two profoundly important
aspects of emotional intelligence. First,
the proper development of interpersonal
intelligence—the understanding and
management of yourself effectively. Second,
the proper development
of Interpersonal intelligence--understanding
and relating effectively with people. One
author elaborates on intrapersonal
intelligence with the following statement:
“Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability
to acknowledge, value, and manage your
feelings so that they are expressed
appropriately and effectively, laying the
groundwork for meaningful relationships and
productive teamwork. It is also the ability
to recognize and diagnose the emotion of
others and the ability to respond
appropriately to emotional cues.” A
percentage of the Bahamian population lacks
these important skills, and it is evident in
the tourism industry when workers interact
with visitors, the general labor force, the
classrooms, and boardrooms.
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Divorce adjustment issues. While I
know that divorce is necessary in many
instances, there is often unnecessary pain
and misery created by the spouses themselves
or by the laborious procedures of divorce.
Painfully too often, children are caught in
the middle of the anger and resentment of
their divorcing parents. This pain and anger
linger throughout the life of the child (if
not treated with counseling). Thus, it
impacts decision-making, lifestyle, and
proper self-government.
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A sense of entitlement that has ruined
self-discipline and personal accountability.
In the article “What Is an Entitlement
Mentality?” by WebMD, it states, “A sense of
entitlement is the belief that one is
inherently deserving of certain privileges,
recognition, or treatment, often without
having earned it. It's the feeling that one
is owed something simply by virtue of who
they are, rather than based on effort,
contribution, or merit.” This kind of
thinking and behavior is crippling our
nation, and sadly, it starts and is
nourished in the home. Children learn from
their parents' behavior; thus, the sense of
entitlement is transmitted from parent to
child.
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Unsupervised exposure to digital media
(social media, TV, smartphones, game
devices, etc). The
smartphone and social media have now become
the quasi-parent for many children. Lazy
parents are comfortable allowing their
children to sit for hours on their iPads or
phones to do whatever they want to do.
These children are exposed to subject
matters their brains are not ready to
handle. These devices have become the go-to
for babysitting. The problem is the parents
are not aware of the cyber world the child
is diving into thus often creating conflict,
sleepless nights, poor appetite, poor anger
management, poor academic achievement, etc.
One negative by-product of social media is
poor sleeping habits of our youth. This is
the most sleep-deprived generation since the
beginning of humankind.
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Lack of proper marriage preparation.
Too many of our young people are rushing
into marriage and not getting proper
marriage preparation. Research tells us
that pre-marriage education reduces divorce
by fifty percent.
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Addictions—alcohol and marijuana.
Alcohol and drug addiction are leading too
many of our youth to a life and anger and
pain. This is also draining the resources
of our nation’s health and social services.
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The increase in suicide. Note that
the lack of the ability of family and
friends to understand and intelligently
respond to the pain of others is one factor
impacting the increase of suicide. Lack
of empathy.
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Spiritual beliefs that devalue women,
reinforce a hierarchical structure in
relationships, and strengthen the practice
of male dominance.
I am unable to expand on all of these points. I
thought to just stimulate your thinking to
recognize a few of the stumbling blocks to
national success. Hence, what is the
solution? Here are three brief suggestions: 1)
Systematic, intentional education. 2) The death
of the old guard. 3. The birth of new
approaches and ideas.
Barrington H. Brennen is a marriage and family
therapist. Send your question or comments to
question@soencouragement.org or call 242-327
1980 or visit
www.soencouragement.org
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