Family Culture Influences Our Thoughts, LIfestyles, and Future

Family cultures can influence our thoughts, lifestyle and future. We are first introduced the ideals of our family through culture, when we first began to understand as a baby. These cultural impacts continues to influence through our decision makings as we age. Of course, no family is the same. As an Asian Americans, we are constantly battling in between the traditional Asian cultures and the more liberal cultures of the west. Through my friends, especially, it was obvious that this clash can create many problems between parents and children.

>>It is generalized that typical Asian families really care about the differences between an A and an A minus when it comes to grades. Unfortunately, that generalization is typically valid. Luckily in my case, my parents were more lenient about my grades but still expected my grades to be above average. Most Asian families were not as open as my family. Based on my friends experiences of as an Asian American growing up in the States, restrictions were set differently than those of typical liberal American families. For example, “fun” activities as a child, like sleepovers, were usually not allowed, regardless of the driving or walking distance to the other house. For most Asian parents, they feel that it would bother their children from studying. This perhaps has to do with the constantly pressuring environment in which the parents were accustomed to in Asia. In Asia, although it is changing now, grades are the most important aspect of growing up as a child. Unlike Western countries, Asian children are always under the pressure and stress of a “competition” between each other in school. Therefore a lot of those ideals are what makes up the Asian restricted culture for most families. On the ...

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...arents would force their expectations from me, I was not allowed to ever disagree even if they were wrong. Whereas my American friends were allowed to disagree if they were logical reasons.

>>Cultural ideas and restriction can be good and bad. Sometimes, too much restriction can cause children to force to reject the good aspects of their culture. And sometimes too much freedom can cause a child not respect elders. In the end, whether the culture is good or bad, parents only want the best for their children. Although traditional cultural upbringings work in Asian countries, it doesn't mean it is the best for western countries. The right upbringing is not only helping the children with their studies but also understanding what their child needs as well. Perhaps the right culture is the a blend of both tradition and liberal aspects of both Asian and western cultures.