Culture Makes a Family

Culture Makes a Family

What makes a family? Some might say love, others say happiness but can you really define a family? Or can it be defined in more than one way. I was born into an extended family in the Caribbean’s on a small island called Haiti. About 80 to 90 percent of families in the Caribbean are from an African background, and came as slaves to the region. Being forced to work in plantations and fields Dominant Male slaves were also used as ‘studs’ to breed top quality slaves. As a result forced families were conceived. Before this family structure was maternal and extended. Common-law unions and illegitimacy were seen as failed attempts to imitate white norms (Frazier 1966 as cited in Barrow and Reddock 2001).So does the concept of a man, women and a child mean a family? The definition of family in the Caribbean’s differs from that in the United States and tradition plays a big role in that. Growing up we didn’t have too much but what we did have, we took pride in. A family was something you could call your own. The role of extended family is significant in Caribbean families which includes aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Single parenting is not an option when it comes to an extended family. When parents are at work or are away someone else steps up. In a family everyone has a role. The father is the provider and protects his family. The mother is the nurturer in the family and the kids are the prized possessions. Having roles doesn’t make a family but can help define one. Like most of the Caribbean’s the attitude towards relationship and commitment has for the most part stayed the same. It goes back to tradition and values. My mom always used to tell me, I was a kid until I got married and had kids. Dudle...

... middle of paper ...

... and an assistant professor of psychology at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College. These boys turn to men without guidance from the fathers and fail to realize to know the true meaning of being the provider and protector, which hinders the growth of his family. But social changes have changed the values on how a family works. Tradition seems to be a lost art in most places now a days and it reflects in society today. People are forgetting where they came from and the culture that helped raised their parents and their families. As a result of U.S. influence, primarily through the media, the values of Caribbean families are changing. For instance, the nuclear family is now considered the ideal (Dudley-Grant 2001).Because of our culture we know most of what we know now. Everything we learned gets passed down from one generation to the next. Culture has taught us