In my family, not everyone is blood relatives. Most of us are not related really, but are still family. My dad was adopted along with his half sister, but everyone always thinks my dad and grandpa look the same. On my dad’s side, four of the six kids are adopted. The other two were mentally and physically handicapped. But I always have thought of them all as my family, because they have always acted like it and were a true family. On my mother’s side, everyone is a blood relative, but we are not as close. My mother’s side is mostly from the North and you can tell their lifestyle is different. My father’s side being from the South and raised for the most part in church, have more of a closeness to it. My paternal grandpa was raised in church, …show more content…
It was in her twenties, after being married to my grandpa a while, that she was saved and their lives became about living for the Lord. That is how we were raised. So in truth, the theme of family came from our relation with church and God more than our actual family. We love each other, and depend on each other, but I am more close to some of the church members than I am to my extended family. The culture of our family comes from two places. There is the side that was raised in church, with modesty and morals being the main theme and living for the Lord. There is the other side that didn’t always have that theme as the front runner of their growing up, but are still nice, loving people. I belong in the side where God, church, then family is most important. I remember my grandma telling me that as a little girl while she was loading the dishwasher. She always said she tried to teach her kids that first, and then everything else comes later. My grandpa on that side would tell me that God was most important, but the way they both lived proved it to be true more than their words. Growing up, I …show more content…
But not above anything else. If continuing education was your path, then go for it. If you decided to work straight out of high school and were happy, then that was accepted. If you were living right and following the Lord, that was accepted in our culture, not how much money you made. I am the first one in my immediate family to have an anticipated graduation date from college. Some of my other family started, but never finished. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I started college, but I loved photography. I started at Kennesaw State and couldn’t wait to drive to the big city every week to school. The first day, I hated it. I hated the fact that I would have to get a degree in art because just photography wasn’t popular at that time. I didn’t like the concepts the art program was teaching either, and knew I didn’t want to be at a liberal school. It was too late to transfer. In looking for new schools, I didn’t know where to go, but knew I wanted a conservative school. One that wouldn’t try to force liberal ideas down my throat. I never wanted to go to North Georgia because in trips through Dahlonega I said I would never go to a school in the mountains. It looked so secluded and boring, but now I longed for somewhere like that. Somewhere small and safe, like my hometown of Ellijay. UNG suddenly just felt like the right decision from my research. After looking into the school, and what was allowed and not allowed, I loved it. I
Family as defined by Webster’s College Dictionary can be one of many different people. Family can be your parents, spouse, children, brother, sister, grandmother, uncle, any blood relative, or even people who are not blood related that share that common bond (Webster 475). My definition of family is similar to Webster’s, but I feel that there is more to it than just being a blood relative or close friend. A person’s actions, beliefs, and morals play a major role in deciding who makes it into that “family” group. Family becomes more of an idea or feeling, like love or hate, than just who a person is or where they fall in your family tree. There have been people that I have considered closer than family just by their actions, even though they were nowhere near related to me. Fortunately, I have not had any blood relation family members make me wish they were not in my “family” (maybe my older sister when we were younger, but that doesn’t count). While reading from Children and Families in our text, I came across many readings that I feel were inspired in many different ways by what the author believed was “family.” There were two readings that jumped out at me and reminded me of my view of how a family should be in their interactions with each other. They were the short story “Flight” by Doris Lessing and the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. There was also one writing that I read that went against my idea of family and made me happy that this wasn’t the way that my family acted as I grew up, that was “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid. And while some authors lean their writing one direction or another, Adrienn...
Determining family structure and dynamics as well as defining the family is a complex process. Personally, I come from a very traditional family. Much like the assumptions made by the students in the article Defining Family: Young Adults’ Perceptions of the Parent-Child Bond by Mellisa Holtzman (2008). This is what comes to mind when most people define family; a nuclear family, with married parents, and biological children. However, a family is a complex system and can take on many different forms.
I have always been close with my family my entire life. All throughout my childhood we have been together almost everyday and have experienced many memories together. We all get along so well because of the fact that our family is so close knit. And partly because of the fact that all my cousins are boys as well. So when we all ended up living within a half mile of each other. Well lets just say that we took on a town of our own.
I grew up in a traditional family lifestyle, with two parents and siblings. My father and mother have been married for twenty-two years and have been with each other ever since then. They both have full time jobs so they can support their three children. I am the oldest child in our family and I have two younger sisters. We are all one year apart from each other in age. My family has had such an impact on my life. I have learned that when I grow up, I want to have a family that will live the same lifestyle that I did when I grew up. My parents care a...
This paper focuses on understanding the adolescent wellbeing in the lesbian and gay (LG) stepfamily from the perspective of family system theory. The family system theory emphasizes that the members in the family are interconnected with each other, and environment influences the quality of interconnection among the members and in the family system. Also, the concepts of boundaries, rules of transformation, and variety are used to describe the factors that influence the interaction between environment and family system and the quality of interconnection among the family members. Unlike the traditional meaning of “family”, for LG stepfamilies, the family structure and the meaning of family are not clear; thus this kind of ambiguous description may impact relationships, both among the family members and external to the family (Stewart, 2007). Also, some research confirms that LG parents and their children confront more stress from society. The stress may affect family members’ wellbeing and interactions. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the factors that influence the family system and the quality of interaction among members in order to develop strategies to assist in family problem solving.
What are family values? One hundred years ago I feel this would have been an easier question to answer than it is today. Changing family structures and social norms have created a more fluid form of what we envision as a family. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines a family as both “a group of persons with common ancestry” and as “a group of individuals living under one roof.” As we have discussed in class, a family is not simply nuclear anymore. In the stories we have read we have examined nuclear, single-parent, extended, and community-based families. All of which held the same feeling of importance and love for the people in it. With every family being unique, each holds their own set of beliefs or values which poses the question, what
Everyone in the world belongs to a subculture. Each subculture has its own sets of traditions, relics, and artifacts. Relics and artifacts are symbolic, material possessions important to one's subculture. Relics are from the past; artifacts are from the present. These traditions, relics, and artifacts help shape the personalities of individuals and how they relate with others. Individuals know about these items through storytelling in the subculture. Families are good examples of subcultures. My family, a middle-class suburban Detroit family of Eastern European heritage, has helped shape who I am through story telling about traditions, artifacts, and relics.
Though my father and mother sides are separated on most occasions, we all still interact in a loving manner. They have educated me on not only making better life choices, but also on everyday things like how to get blood out of your clothes, or wash windows without leaving streaks. Because I grew up in a God fearing family, when we are all together, we make sure we make time to thank god for everything he has done for our family. We also have annual events like the 4th of July cookout, Grandpa’s birthday party, or the Christmas play my uncle participates in at his church every year. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a holiday or a reason for my family to get together, someone will send an email about getting together and everyone will make sure they are available to come because family is so important to us. These factors influence my personal and social identity, because I make it clear that God and Family come first. I also know that when I need something, I have an ever ending support system that I can reach out too. It has also affected my decision making because I often need my families input or approval before I decide to take on
family plays in my daily interactions with everyone. I was raise in Christian background and the moral
The word “family” is unique, special, and controversial among different cultures and ethnicities. As defined by Random House Western Dictionary, a family is “any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins” (Dictionary.com). Although the definition from Random House follows the infamous proverb of, “blood is thicker than water,” my definition of family does not. Family is not defined or restricted by blood relations. In my mind, a family is simply a group of people, who loves, supports, and helps each other unconditionally, and endlessly. Regardless of one’s sexual orientation or preference, all families embody these common principles. Thus, a family unites its members through the strong bonds and kinships formed when people come together. (Great intro.)
How can a simple six letter word be so complicated to define? Family is a single word that is open to many interpretations depending on the individual. If you try to condense this ideal to a single clinical definition you end up excluding numerous members of society. What comes to mind when you think of the word family? While in the most broken down and literal sense, family means a relative with a blood or legal bond, the word family can encompass blood relations, adoptions, and even intentional relationships such as friendships. Economies, cultures, and backgrounds can further differentiate what one’s perception of a family is. For many people, including me, a family is so much more. It is the amount of commitment, cohesiveness, and importance
I have three siblings along with three nephews. I have a younger sister, older sister, and one older brother. My older sister is the one that had my nephews. We all lived under the same roof until I moved out for college. My mother was more like my father in the house because my father was away working for us, and even though my siblings are her children, it seems that they 're her siblings too. It felt that I was the parent of my nephews and little sister because of the way I had to care for them because everyone else was working. I connect with my immediate family firmly. We always look out for each other because we mean so much to one another. I
Family has major impacts on our lives. From the moment you were born, your family has taught you right from wrong. We get our religion, values, gender roles, language, and habits from our families. We get our status in society through your family’s connection and wealth which later can determine one’s job opportunities in life. Although we grow up and start to develop our own values and beliefs and opinions, the family values beliefs and opinion that were instilled in you since you were little never really go away.
To me, family is a group of people that are brought together by blood, adoption, or marriage. I also believe that people do not have to be blood-related to be considered a family. If two or more people have a connection with one another where they can rely and depend on each other and have an emotional attachment, I also believe that to be considered family. Golics, Azam, Finlay, & Salek (2010), define family as a diverse group of people that care for each other on a day-to-day basis (p. 400). My mother and father are still married after 27 years. I am a child of three with two older brothers, both are currently married with children. My older brother Robert and his wife, Lauren have to two girls named Abigail and Avery. My other other brother...
my family that begins to diversify us is that we are a family of Christians. My parents have