TOEFL® Essay: Good son's qualities

[Konstantin]

Hello!
Question:
What are the important qualities of a good son or daughter? Have these qualities changed or remained the same over time in your culture? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Answer:
Our world has changed rapidly but there are some things that haven’t changed at all. That are the qualities of good son or daughter and respect for parents, integrity and ability to maintain family’s traditions are among them.

There are a lot of cultures all over the world where the respect to parents is a necessary part of life. Such feeling is especially strong in Asian countries like Japan or China, but I believe that everyone should hold in respect his parents, because of their age and experience. Blaming our parents we blame ourselves. It’s absolutely necessary to care for the parents in their old age and it’s also a kind of respect.

I guess that integrity is universal virtue that is necessary for everyone. The person who is honest with his parents in the childhood probably will be the honest adult. A child telling the truth gives the possibility for parents to correct his behavior and therefore future. For example, if a child had been getting bad marks in school and told about it to parents they would give him advice how to increase grades, help him with the homework or even hire the private teacher.

Finally, the good son or daughter should keep the family and parents’ traditions because they form the unique household spirit and improve the mood amongst relatives. The habits of people change during the time. Our habits don’t completely coincide with the parents’ ones but every family has its own small holiday or everything else that goes from generation to generation. In my family, for example it’s very common to play in table games together and my parents are very pleased doing that.

I believe that a good son or daughter should simply be good person in general. But there is a set of qualities that hasn’t change during the history at all.

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