My Family History Influences Me

My Family History The way my personal and family cultural history influences me, allows me to recognize that every individual I encounter and the children I will one-day work with, each have unique experiences, beliefs, practices, and histories that influence the way they see the world. My heritage is rooted in Germany and Switzerland, where 5 generations ago my relatives moved to the states. My paternal grandparents were raised in North Dakota, as was my dad. My grandmother is still alive, but my grandfather died when I was 2. My maternal grandparents we’re raised in Wisconsin, as was my mother. My grandfather on my mom’s side also passed away.
Family Structure
My immediate family consists of 6 people. My mom and dad are married and have

When I was little I was in the garage with my dad hammering nails into a board one moment, and then upstairs with my sisters playing with Barbie’s the next. In my family we all pretty much acted in the way we wanted to, and if that happened to be in a gendered way it wasn’t really a big deal. I don’t remember ever thinking to myself that I have to do this one thing because I am a girl. On the other hand, my parents did end up fitting into some stereotypic roles, but that is more because it is what worked for them. My mom did stay home with the kids until me and my twin were in kindergarten, but that was just more because she wanted to and my parents could afford so she did that, while my dad worked. My mom also picked us up from school, fed us, and took us to soccer practices, but my dad was more than willing to pitch in when necessary. So while these gender roles were visible in my parents I think I knew growing up that my mom wasn’t doing all of these things because it was what was expected of her by society, but rather because it is what she wanted to do and what worked best for my family. Being open to other family situations, and perhaps the lack of gender roles, will be something I encounter while working with families and I am interested to see how that plays a role. For example, if both mom and dad work it will be important for me to recognize that we may need an alternate plan when trying to set up a conference, because one parent is not going to always be readily