The Make-Up of an Armenian Family

The Make-Up of a Family

“If the family were a fruit, it would be an orange, a circle of

sections, held together but separable - each segment distinct.” Letty

Cottin Pogrebin

So I fully agree with this quotation that a family is a unity of

different members and every person in this united circle has a right

to decide on his/her lifestyle though this orange rule never works in

the Armenian families. Armenian families are not like oranges they are

more like peaches. The two juicy and the most powerful parts of the

peach are the parents who govern over the seed, i.e. the child, which

remains inside until we eat the peach. As soon as the peach is eaten

the seed is freed.

The purpose of my presentation is to let everybody know in this

international audience what the traditional process of upbringing is

like in the Armenian reality, what stages it passes and how it results

in our society. Today I am going to present you what is a child for

us, Armenians, what is a teen and young adult, and what is marriage.

So let’s get started.

Body

Childhood

Children are the center of the attention. They are raised mainly by

their mother, but also by their grandmother and aunts. At birth,

children receive gifts, mainly jewellery (holly crosses, gold

medallions, etc). The first male child often is named after his

grandfather; the same may go for the first female child. The Armenian

mothers closely watch and constantly provide care/food to their

children. Feeding a boy with his favorite dish is important; he needs

strength to grow. At his birthday, he will receive cars, trucks and

construction blocks. His enti...

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...dren in a way their ancestors

did hundreds years ago. So it is already time to make the traditional

behaviors a little bit modern. Of course, traditions can’t and

shouldn’t be removed, but our attitude towards our children can and

should be reconsidered.

“We should be the change we want to see.” Mahatma Gandhi

Changing anything is not easy, it is not even enjoyable sometimes, but

the results are the fruits of the trees you yourself have planted. If

we want to eat a tasty and juicy fruit then we have to put our heart

and soul in it. That way, if we start planting the seeds of change

now, may be later the humanity will thank us for our gorgeous hearts

and brilliant brains.

References

http://richardsmith.net/armenia

http://www.quotegarden.com

Oxford Talking Dictionary, (1998) Learning Company, Inc.