My Autobiography: Examining my Family’s Culture
Family has a huge impact one how we view the world. My family’s traditions and views have been passed down to me and it is one that I will pass down to my children. The impact and the importance placed on these traditions and views are embedded into the psyche, almost as soon as birth. However, some of us make new traditions and put away with the old, while some individuals, who view family as the main importance in one’s life, will keep the traditions and views place by the family. These traditions and views that my family hold proud are one’s that have shaped me into the multicultural being I am today. By the religious upbringing I have had, it has taught me the importance of marriage, to remain
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I view marriage as a sacred union between a man and a woman, and the two should remain pure until their wedding night. This view has been embedded into my psyche since I have been little. My family is very adamant about this sacred practice of marriage and the importance of remaining untouched until my wedding night. I understand this worldview is old but that does not mean it is bad. My family’s influence on me has made me seen the importance of marriage and how much beauty it has to only be touched by my husband. The bond is much more pure and the love is so much stronger. Being each others first as husband and wife is such a beautiful thing. I recognize my family’s influence on this matter and am grateful they have this worldview. The importance of this worldview has been pass down through generations and I will continue to pass this down to my children, and hopefully their children. The reason my family has this worldview is because they believe in heaven and hell. If one does sinful things like having sex outside of marriage, drinking, doing drugs, and many other things, then that individual is seen has not pure enough to enter into heaven. My family has also taught me to behave like a lady and go to church so that one day when I die, my soul will be pure enough to enter into heaven. It is important to me and my family that I keep my Lord and Savior happy too and by refraining from sinful activities will keep Jesus happy. Through hard work and prayer, I will keep this worldview as close to my heart as my family keeps me in order to keep me safe from the sinful
A family is a group of people consisting of the parents and their children who live together and they are blood related. The family is always perceived as the basic social units whether they are living together in the same compound or at far distance but are closely related especially by blood. Therefore, the family unit has had a great influence on the growth and the character traits possessed by the children as they grow up and how they perceive the society they live in. the family also shapes the children to be able to relate well with other people that are not part of their family and with a good relationship it impacts to the peace achieved in country. This paper addresses the reasons as to why the family is considered the most important agent of socialization. It’s evident that families have changed over time and they have adopted different ways of living. This paper also tackles on the causes of the dramatic changes to the American family and what the changes are. Different people with different race, gender and preferences make the family unit and this makes the difference in marriages. This will also be discussed in this paper.
When you think about family, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If you only thought about your parents or close relatives then you may have been caught in an “individual vs. family” paradox. Nearly every culture considers family important, but “many Americans have never even met all of their cousins” (Holmes & Holmes, 2002, p.19). We say we are family oriented, but not caring to meet all of our extended family seems to contradict that. Individual freedoms, accomplishments, and goals are all American ideals that push the idea of individualism. What's important to note is that family or even the concept of family itself doesn't appear in any of those ideals. Holmes and Holmes (2002), observed that “The family reunions of yesterday are now rare, and when they occur they are often a source of stress.” (p. 19) That quote solidifies one reason why family interaction today is : it's just too stressful, so we avoid it. Where does marriage fit into our culture of individuals? Marriage itself may be less of a family unifying event than a way for two individuals to obtain personal happiness; the climbing divorce rate alone seems to suggest the devaluation of commitment in a relationship. Likewise, the Holmes and Holmes (2002) state “marriage is in effect a continuation of courtship” (p. 19) In my opinion, I would have to agree with the authors on family and marriage, considering the above-stated facts and trends. If we, as a nation, can place the individual so far above our own relatives, are we not creating a future of selfishness?
After reading different articles and learning more about African American culture, it made me want to find out more about my own family culture. There are different traditions that are pasted down in generations, which could have been a part of African culture that we don’t realize such as parenting styles. I don’t remember hearing too many stories about my past relatives growing up, so I had to find out more on my family experiences in the south. Also, I wanted to see how spirituality played a roll in my family choices. My goal in this paper is to show how I got a better understanding of the reason my family could be structured the way it is now.
Family is important in every culture, it shapes people and makes them who they are.
I never would have imagined feeling like an outsider in my own home. Unfortunately I wouldn’t even go as far as considering my current home as “my home.” I live in a house with eight people and two dogs and for some, that might not even be slightly overwhelming, but for me it is. I try to keep my heart open about the situation, but I always end up feeling like I don’t belong. Given the circumstances of my situation, I would say life definitely turned out better than what I initially expected, but I was left feeling like a “stranger in a village” having to live with a family that is nothing like my own.
The meaning of family varies from place to place and from culture to culture. One all-encompassing definition that describes every type of family across the board does not exist. For instance, in places like China children can be raised apart from their father and mother in a group of women, but still count themselves a family. Alan C. Acock in his book Family Diversity and Well Being states that a married couple with no children is not considered a family (122), but some married couples may contest this theory. In fact, there are more variations on modern family structure than ever before, including non-traditional families where grandparents raise their grandchildren, adoptive families, foster families, and blended families with children from two or more sets of parents (“Power Tools”). Despite the challenges faced by many families today, I believe that the children of the current generation—known as Generation Y—can thrive as long as they receive nurture and enrichment from their family members. As a member of Generation Y myself, I speak from first-hand experience. In the following paragraphs, I will give an account of my own upbringing in Nepal that led to my current status as a college student in the USA. I will also briefly describe family structures in America, and compare them to Nepali family structure. In the end, I propose that nurture is the key to producing well-adjusted children today, regardless of family type or where the children are raised.
In the past couple years, I faced emotions of loneliness, worthlessness and even depression. I spent those years trying to figure out what was the cause of these serious emotions and one of the answers that I stumbled upon was when I finally talked to a therapist about dealing with my depression. The simple answer was the relationship with my family and the environment I was in; Figuring out what to do about it was the next giant leap. Throughout history, America has been known as an immigrant country that uses the phrase “The American Dream” over and over, but what is it really? “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (James Truslow
It seemed like a normal day when I entered Mrs. A’s AP Language and Composition class, but little did I know that she was going to assign a very important project that was going to take forever. I took my seat and wrote down what was on the board. Then I sat patiently and waited for Mrs. A to come explain what we were doing today. When the tardy bell rang, Mrs. A glided into the room and gave us all a stack of papers. She then proceeded to discuss our upcoming assignment, a memoir. As she explained the very important assignment, I wondered whom I would write about. No one really came to mind to write about and I thought for sure I would never be able to get this thing done on time. I finally decided that I would write in on my mother, Kari Jenson. I knew I would probably put the project off until the very end and do it the weekend before even though it would get on my mom’s nerves. Putting work off was just how I did everything, it worked for me. When I arrived home from school that day, I told mom about the project. I told her I would most likely write it about her and she was overjoyed.
Family has a major impact 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 opinions that were instilled in you since you were little never really go away.
The word “family” is often used in connection with a person’s ancestry. Most families are based on kinship. Members belong to the family through birth, marriage, or adoption. Family plays the most vital role in our daily life and family is the finest thing that you can ever desire for. It’s the family who assists their child in hardships of life and give affection no matter what happens. Human personality reflects on what his /her family status is and what their families have taught them.
As a person grows up in a family, they are influenced by many aspects of their life. Family and culture may influence a person’s sense of responsibilities, ethics and morals, tastes in music, humor and sports, and many other aspects of life. “What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.” (Abraham Maslow)
My family and family history starts like most people’s. Two people fell in love, they had kids, their kids had kids and so on and so forth. But where we come from and who we are, is a completely different story. From our European roots, to the mixing of our blood once my family migrated to America, my family is quite complex but one that I am proud of and love greatly.
Two-thirds of children who participate in extracurricular activities are expected to attain at least a bachelor’s degree, whereas only half of children that do not participate do (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). Childhood is a very important time in our lives, a time when we develop many vital skills that follow us into adulthood. Some people laugh or scoff at us parents that keep our children to busy schedules. Those same people would also argue that our children should be allowed to have a childhood, to not be so tightly scheduled in their daily lives. Before jumping on that bandwagon, I would suggest doing a little research. Participating in after-school activities has shown to benefit children in many ways. Children should
There are a lot of different cultures in the world we live in today. Finding the place you belong and discovering your own culture can be a challenge. This is especially true when you look at culture as an individual versus culture in your family, or even within your community. I’ve always been very family oriented, so that plays a big part in who I am and how my family’s dynamic works. I believe that my family has had a huge impact on the development of my culture, and I hope that I have had the same impact on theirs.
Everyone is born into some form of family, with the family taking the responsibility of nurturing, teaching the norms or accepted behaviors within the family structure and within society. There are many types of families, which can be described as a set of relationships including parents and children and can include anyone related by blood or adoption. Family is the most important, “for it is within the family that the child is first socialized to serve the needs of the society and not only its own needs” (Goode, 1982).