I often pictured my family as this big beautiful bow, and the knot that strongly held it together was my Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Earl. My Grandparents have (spouses included): 14 Children, 29 Grandchildren, and 20 Great Grandchildren. As Barbara Bush said “I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life”. And that 's what my family was together, no matter where you were or what you were doing, it was just known to be together. All very close, everybody supported everybody in anything, It seemed as if there were always a sports thing, dance recital, dinner at their house every night (mondays were little caesars pizza night), or we were having some type of family gathering, from holidays‒ (Halloween in particular was the …show more content…
I always remember her feeding herself last, making sure everyone was taken care of . . . cheese sandwiches were always made for us when we got out of school and waiting on the table . . . I do believe that I had the world 's best grandma.” -Jennifer Anthony Dial. Growing up about 14 cousins and I spent most of our days at their house, practically living there, playing outside. The endless amount of yard there was‒or it felt like they had; riding four wheelers, snowmobiles and trying to build so many treehouses but we never did finish one so forts in the tv room were always …show more content…
The once close knit family there once was‒ that did everything together, isn 't all that close anymore. Many moved away, others dis-involved themselves from the family, some got divorced, as for my Grandpa Earl‒ he remarried. Even with the trials of cancer and death it brought my family close, only making us stronger. “Our trials, our sorrows, and our grieves develop us.”- Orison Swett Marden. My family could of been angry at cancer for forever, but it would of gotten us nowhere, she 's definitely in a better place now and not suffering anymore. Physically she left us on that day, but spiritually she’ll be with us for a
Family seemed to be important with this family. They often spent time with her family during the holiday season. They have family over when the kids are having birthdays. They spend time together as a family going camping.
My Idea of family honestly didn't begin until I agreed to marriage and children. Until that moment, in my laxity, I hadn't even considered the many aspects and values a family should consist of. My experience needless to say, laid in shattered pieces long before I took over the reins of raising myself and built a blockade fortress of stoicism. In all seriousness, I often considered never having a relationship, thinking I was incapable of possessing the experience it would take to pursue such an endeavor. Needless to say, I didn't say 'yes' the first time. In spite of this, I did marry; yet my idea of family was built without preconceived ideologies. I've done what I felt was nurturing and beneficial for my children both environmentally and educationally. All in all, my family is successful though we are a work in progress. I'm often overly diligent in their wellbeing out of my heightened need for them what I never had; the experience of a wonderful family that sets the basis for a successful life when life beyond the days of a dreamy child are a hardship all their own. Family relationships, be it any form, is as always a work in progress, yet, with the fiction work of Cathedral by Raymond Carver and with Langston Hughes' poem Mother To Son, we see those with steadfast nerves and unwavering determination can succeed in this precious and challenging undertaking.
In general knowledge, a family is a group consisting of blood relatives, living together as a unit. However, family has a much deeper meaning to me. Growing up in such a small Haitian community, I was always very close to all of my relatives, whether it was my siblings, cousins or aunts and uncles. I couldn’t imagine a world without them: they are the people who made me who I am today.
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...
In day-to-day life, one typically notices that family strikes a chord in the hearts of all. After carefully perusing What We Really Miss About the 1950’s by Stephanie Coontz, Aunt Ida Pieces a Quilt, penned by poet Melvin Dixon, and The Color of Family Ties: Race, Class, Gender, and Extended Family Involvement by Naomi Gerstel and Natalia Sarkisian, one finds that each of these selections share similar themes relating to ideas of family. Family can be defined as the nuclear family, consisting only of parents and their offspring, or as the extended family, consisting of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, or alternately, even conceptualizing family as a community as a whole. “The structures, or forms, of the family vary as much as the
My immediate family and my father’s sister immediate family all reunites at her house every year with our own special dishes. We dedicate this time to give thanks for all that we are blessed with. Before dinner every one of us speaks and gives thanks for something that happened that year. We also dedicate this time to celebrate life with music and drinks. Of course there are years we encounter tougher situations than the previous year but we make sure to always be grateful we are alive and healthy because tomorrow is never promised. This tradition started the first year they had my oldest brother (their first born). They felt as if it was their duty to make sure he appreciated all the sacrifices they’ve been through to get to where they were and understand the importance of family since not every one is fortunate enough. As time went by and they expanded their family, it only became more important. We also were always close to my father’s sister because we all kind of struggled together and were each other’s backbones. Of course we had other families who helped but because they lived so nearby we spent more time
I have been very fortunate to have known my maternal and paternal grandparents and great-grandparents. We enjoy a close family and always have. Sadly, my first experience with a close death was when my paternal grandma died at the age of sixty-four of colon cancer. I was in the ninth grade when she died and hers’ was the first wake and funeral I had experienced. I remember having nightmares for weeks after the funeral. As I grew older, I lost my
To me, family is the most important thing in my life. They always encourage me to be the best I can be and nothing more. A quote that I think describes family to me is one by Alex Haley that states, “In every conceivable manner, the family is the link to our past, and bridge to our future.” Through the stories I hear from my mother and grandmother, I have a clear link to my families past and the generation of women that led to me. All the values these women held close to them throughout the years have led to the formation of myself and my values. Over the past three generations, the women in my family have overcome oppression. My mother, growing up in a time where women could never have aspirations to be CEO’s or politicians, somehow came out stronger. She saw what she didn’t want for her future, and jumped at the chance to start a new life in America. No single model of family life characterizes the American family, despite ideological beliefs to the contrary (Andersen). My family couldn’t be labeled an “Italian family” or an “American family.” We are a mix of the two cultures and ideologies, which is what makes us different. I am the first women in my mother’s family to be born and raised in America. My great grandmother had a complete different childhood and adolescence experience than I yet we still have a common cultural base. All her ideals were passed onto my grandmother, than all the down to me, a hundred years in the making to become who I am
The family unit is as diverse as the societies they each represent. This sometimes can manifest traditional roles of doting mothers and providing fathers into a home with two sets of parents (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). Therefore, the involvement and importance of the extended family: grandparents and other family members such as aunts and uncles play a significant role in both its economic and social function.
Family has played an intricate role in the development of the society in which we live. The diversity in which families are formed is now becoming even more diverse with the American culture, which is changing at a rapid pace. Diverse cultures coupled with social economic challenges are key contributors to the dramatic change to the institution of family. With these challenges facing the institution of family, this closely tightknit unit which has been the cornerstone of American society has diminishing from a traditional standpoint. Non-kinship family networks like the one described in Karen V. Hansen’s “The Cranes, An Absorbent Safety Net,” goes against the norm of the common institution of family within America. Although the Crane family
When the word “family” is discussed, most people think of mothers, fathers, and other siblings. Some people think of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even cousins and more on the pedigree tree. Without family in people's lives, they would not be the same people that they grew up to be today and in the future. When people hear the word family they think about, the ones who will help them in any way they can whether it’s money, support, advice, or anything to help them succeed in life. Family will forever be the backbone of support.
My brother was a strong man we never though he was capable of killing his self. My brother left behind a wife and three children. Our family has never seen to be the same since my brother took his life. My mom grieves every day to herself. My mom never told me she was grieving, one day I had a talk with her and she told me she cries every day. I had my mom to go talk to her doctor. My brother children still have a difficult time because they miss my brother. Losing my brother due to death at an early age is a big heartbreak for the whole family. I miss my brother. Me and my brother is my mom only children. My mom and I are close, but when my brother died, my mom makes sure she tells me she loves me every time we depart on the phone or when we depart from one another. According to Ross Eshleman and Richard A. Bulcroft the Twelfth Edition “death is an inescapable event, one that will occur within all family and kin networks. Certainly, the loss of those one loves most intensely- parent, spouse, child, or other family member-causes tremendous pain.” My family is a good support system for me and my mom. My mother has four sisters that help her get through this major life event. My mother has a sister that has lost a son at an early age also. My aunt lost her son about six years ago, he got shot at college the week he was about to graduate. My aunt that lost her child and my mom talk on a daily basis. I think that this is how they deal with their lost by talking everyday knowing that they have experienced the same major event in their life. www.hepguide.org “The death of a love is one of life’s most difficult experiences. The bereaved struggle with many intense and frightening emotions, including depression, anger, and guilt. Often, he or she feels isolated and alone in his or her grief, but having someone to lean on can help him or her through the grieving process. “I feel emotions,
“A family can be defined as a set of people related by blood, marriage or in some other agreed upon relationship, or adoption, who share primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for member of society". (Schaefer, 2009, p. 288) This leads to a wide open range of interpretation on the exact definition of how a family is truly made up. Depending on your culture, religion, or geographical location a family may represent and be comprised of many different ideals and social norms. There are many theoretical perspectives that have their own interpretations on the subject of what a family is and how it is perceived. I will attempt to expound on three of these perspectives; Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionalism.
Loving each other is what our family believed in. We only had one back bone within our family and it was Mrs. Annie Mae. She kept us together during the hardest times. Each holiday, the holiday spirit flooded the house with pure happiness and joy. The sound of various categories of music was interesting, and made everyone so happy. Our taste buds ‘jumped off the walls’ because of all the delicious foods and deserts she hand prepared. Happiness and joy is what my great grandmother was all
In this discussion, I will be explaining how I define family. I will also include my immediate and extended family. I will also describe what family means to me, how mine differs from other families in my neighborhood, and also how they are similar. I will also describe my family’s ethnicity and how it may affect any of my family’s health. To me, a family is a group of people that are brought together by blood, adoption, or marriage.