I interviewed a fifty-five year old female named Theresa Geis. She is married to Robert Geis and they have four daughters including me. They reside in Denver, Colorado with one daughter still in the house. Theresa graduated with a master’s degree in teaching with a focus in special education. She grew up in Greeley, CO but enjoys Denver and where she is currently at. Theresa and Robert have had the same house in Denver for twenty-one years now and have recently bought a cabin in Estes Park which is on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park. A typical day for my mom is her waking up at five forty five and going for an hour walk outside. After her walk she wakes up her youngest daughter Rebecca. She will make her breakfast for her and then will eat breakfast with Becca. After breakfast she will proceed to get ready for the day, do a few chores before the preschoolers come at eight. Once eight o’clock rolls around she will start teaching preschool till noon in her basement which has been converted into a classroom. From eleven to noon Theresa drives to the local coffee shop called the Prairie Peddler and gets an iced white chocolate Americano with a little skim milk. After her latte she will eat some lunch and then teach from noon till three. At three Becca has a game or practice which Theresa will go to or drop her off depending if it is a game or practice. After her game or practice Theresa will make dinner for her husband Robert and Becca. They will eat together, clean up, and chat about their days before retiring for the night. The event that stood out most to Theresa was the birth of her youngest daughter Becca. This was because she was ready to go back into the work force of teaching since her three other daughters were old enough to take care of themselves and each other. Her routine change because of Becca’s birth required her to be a full time mother again and she was preparing to be a working asset for the family. When asked if Theresa enjoyed or was satisfied with her present routine she was prompted in her response that she most defiantly was. She really enjoyed teaching and having a flexible schedule that allows her to spend quality time with her husband and her daughter.
Kathy Harrison starts her personal story happily married to her childhood sweet heart Bruce. Kathy was living a simple life in her rural Massachusetts community home as the loving mother of three smart, kind, well-adjusted boys Bruce Jr., Nathan, and Ben. With the natural transitions of family life and the changes that come with career and moving, she went back to work as a Head Start teacher. Her life up until the acceptance of that job had been sheltered an idyllic. Interacting in a world of potluck suppers, cocktail parties, and traditional families had nothing in common with the life she would choose after she became a Head Start teacher.
Kaakinen, Gedaly-Duff, Coehlo & Hanson, (2010) report family is the biggest resource for managing care of individuals with chronic illness; family members are the main caregivers and provide necessary continuity of care. Therefore, it is important for health care providers to develop models of care based on an understanding what families are going through (Eggenberger, Meiers, Krumwiede, Bliesmer, & Earle, 2011). The family I chose to interview is in the middle of a transition in family dynamics. I used the family as a system approach as well as a structure-function theoretical framework to the effects of the changes in dynamic function. Additionally, the combinations of genogram, ecomap, adaptations of the Friedman Family Assessment model as well as Wright & Leahey’s 15 minute family interview were utilized.
In the early 1940’s Marie was born into a small tight knit family living in a small rural Kentucky town. Marie is now in her seventies and has led a very interesting life traveling the country, raising four children, and shaping her chosen profession. Our interview sessions were conducted over a period of time, as Marie is very active and has little “free time” to spare.
She said the pain of separation was enormous when her children were young. Her adult children, who were interviewed agreed that it was painful during that time. But, as they became older they gained more insights and understood their mother’s commitment. This part of her life impacted me on a personal level, for I am a mother of two young teenage boys, I am an activist and a full-time college student with the hopes of becoming an attorney and to continue to make a difference in my community. Witnessing her passion and how she dealt with the personal struggles provided me with a much-needed boost to stay focus on my
Normal everyday deeds such as laundry, diaper changes, cooking meals and the like do take up much of her day, not to say she doesn’t have help from some of her the older children. There is just so much one person can take and still stand tall, smile and keep peace and tranquility on the home-front.
Each day increases the number of American families that face the tasks of balancing demanding work schedules and family obligations. Unfortunately, in case after case one finds the woman carries the major portion of these obligations. Recently I spoke with the mother of two young daughters. She went on to describe how she handled the task this responsibility saying:
Valerie was fortunate enough to be able to take off from work for thirteen years to raise all four of her children; however, when her youngest turned two years old and her and her husband went through a divorce things changed. Valerie had to go back to work sooner than she had wanted to support her family. Valerie start part time until the youngest child was old enough to begin school. From that point on, Valerie was fortunate enough to alway work in the same school district as her children, but still she faced difficulties. Whenever a child was sick, it was her responsibility to drop everything to tend to their needs. Valerie noted that while she always planned to return to work, she felt “guilty that [she] could not give the younger two children as much attention as [she] gave the older two children” (Archetto). One major impact, balancing work and family life has on women is the internal guilt that mother’s feel for leaving their children. Society makes it clear that when a child needs something it is the mother’s job to drop everything, but if she is working and not able to do as much women feel a tremendous guilt. In Valerie’s case, she had to call for extra help when her schedule and her children’s schedules differed. She hired a woman to come to the house in the morning and afternoon to get the children ready for school and to pick them up until Valerie
Although my mother did not work outside the home, she worked diligently, relentlessly, and efficiently in our home. I can recall her baking and selling cakes, babysitting for other mothers, and preparing balanced meals as we enjoyed the luxuries of an organized, clean, well-maintained ranch style home that my father had built. Her day started before her kids woke up in the morning and didn’t end until late in the evening, long after we were in
I have decided to interview my beloved grandmother, Fiza Gilbert for my special assignment. My grandmother is currently 79 years of age. She will turn eighty in September, and I had the pleasure of talking to her about aging and how it has impacted her life. As the interview went on, we laughed and shared memories of when she took care of me twenty years ago till today. Although my grandmother was a very strong woman with much love and support, I have also seen her struggle with every day habits as she ages.
My interviewee is 74-years-old, a daughter of 13 children, a mother of 4, a grandmother of 7, and a retired teacher. She was born and raised in Guyana and moved to Guyana with her husband and children and lived in New York for a couple of years before moving to Maryland. She has been a Maryland resident for 14 years. She recently retired a year ago and now she enjoys spending time with family and visiting her grandchildren in Florida.
I interviewed my brother Norman Gabb, who is 69 years old. He was an elevator operator, maintenance person for a building in New York City, New York before he retired. He served in the United States Army for 4 years in the 1970s. He is a caregiver for my 90-year-old mother who has Alzheimer’s.
I’m interviewing my mom who didn’t have the best childhood. She was born in El grullo Jalisco she loved it there even if they barely fit in their house. My grandpa later decided to move to Pajacuaran Mich when my mom was only 8 years old. My mom fought to stay in Jalisco but didn’t fought hard enough. Throughout the years my grandma keeped getting pregnant and have miscarriages. If all her sibling would of survived I would of had 24 uncle and aunties but saddly 8 died. Imagine working at age 6 to be able to feed 10 or more people not including yourself. My mom would rather starve then knowing that her sibling haven’t ate. Knowing this changed my whole view for this beautiful hard working lady. I know have more respect towards her. I would never want to go through something like that because I haven’t been able to accept the fact that my grandpa is dead. Image if I had a brother and he died,
For my oral history I decided to interview my mother. My mom’s life is filled with so many interesting stories and they always take me to another place. I chose her because I wanted to more, I wanted to see if my mother was more like me when I was younger. Mother was a straight A student in high school and involved in many clubs. She was born and bred in Cleveland, she grew up in a different and exciting time; it was the eighties. Here is my mom in not so many words :
Has anyone ever asked you: “Who is most important to you”? To me the most wonderful mother in my life, no one can replace her in my heart. My mother, who is very nice and gentle, helps me and has always been there for me when I need her. My mother loves me very much. She is strict and educated me to become a good person. I can’t say how much love her. I am grateful to her because she gave me birth, brings me love and helped me grow up. But you know she just takes care of me a lot. Every day she tells me the same words. If you were me, you would feel very tired. I am a very happy child having my mother. I feel too tired to listen to her words, but imagine one day I don’t see her any longer and listen to her voice. What would I feel?
Many people, as well as myself, believe that a mother’s influence is one of the most important influences that one will ever come in contact with in their lives. A mother’s love, comfort, and support will often help to shape a child and allow them to become the person they need to be later on in life. My mother has had a great influence on my life from day one. I often refer to her as my “rock” because she is definitely a solid foundation in my life. Being that she is a great role model, my mother’s support and presence in my life has allowed me to grow as a person, keep my spirits high through hell and high water, prosper in all that I have done, as well as mold me to be a great person in the future.