Danielle : The Youngest Of Three Older Siblings

She needs everything to be fair and complains when something is not. For instance, both my brother and sister got a computer for their sixteenth birthday but my parents decided I could have an early birthday present. When my sister heard this, she made it very clear that I was not allowed to receive any other presents when it came time for my actual birthday. She reminded my parents and I of this about 10 different times to make herself clear and heard. Lori, being the oldest, feels like she does not get special treatment so neither should her younger siblings. This thought also runs through my sister’s head because she is also the oldest. Lori said this because if her dad had said that Jeannette could bring her rocks, she would have gone back to get more of her many books. This is something my older sister would do as well. I am very familiar with older siblings wanting everything to be fair and I connect with the author in that way. Rose Mary’s mother lived in Phoenix and the author was planning on living with her. However, when she asked if they were going to her house, she was told that her grandmother had died a few months back. When their grandma Smith died, the author’s mother inherited one of two houses so they lived in the one they received. Right away when they reached the house, Rose Mary started up on her art career. Along with the house, they inherited money and Rex landed a

Although the children attend the same school, they were not friends with each other, nor did the other children act friendly towards Danielle. She is easily forgotten and the kids do not care to remember her. Danielle’s introverted personality

Lauren has two younger siblings; David is age three, and Aneka is sixteen months old. Four months ago, Mrs. Smith was surgically treated for bone cancer of the spine and was at a hospital out of state for nearly three weeks. During that time, the Smith children stayed with their maternal grandparents and had limited contact with their mother via Skype. Mrs. Smith reports that

Sarah’s mom suffered from effects related to diabetes and passed away and her father passed away from cardiac dysfunction. Also, Sarah and her husband begin to have problems with her marriage. In her early 40’s, I decided that Sarah and her husband were in an unhealthy relationship and needed to file for divorce and live separate lives. She begins to focus more on herself and being with her children and close friends after the divorce. Ten years later, Sarah finds a new romance and is again married. At this point in adulthood, Sarah’s children are all grown up at this point in adulthood. Hannah graduated from school, gotten married, and has a child named Lucy. Sarah’s other child Will, has gone to college and is attending a top-ranked program for engineering. Sarah’s health must be watched closely during this stage in adulthood because previous stressors in her life caused significant weight changes earlier on in adulthood. As Sarah enters late adulthood, she comes to terms with her identity and is always finding new ways to engage in different

Joel and Daniel differ greatly from each other. All of Joel’s family is still alive, unlike Daniel’s where most of his family has died. Daniel has a younger sister, Leah, who doesn’t leave the house due to a traumatic incident when she was young when she saw her father killed. She lives with her grandmother who soon dies in the middle of the novel . Daniel’s

“I know my mom and dad love each other but their marriage is not healthy and has not been for a long time.” “They don’t even sleep in the same room”. (personal communication, 08/03/2013). Selyna states she feels like her mother is depressed, but would never admit to it. Selyna and her sister Stephanie are very close to their mother. Selyna’s brother Sergio is gay which has caused the greatest conflict with his father and has resulted in a poor relationship with conflict and discord. Selyna states “When my brother came out it was the most stress I have ever seen my family endure it was very hard for all of us. I have never stopped loving my brother and was able to look past it, but my father never has and I don’t think he ever will” (personal communication, 08/03/2013). Selyna describes her relationship with her brother Sergio and her sister Stephanie as close and has depicted on the genogram as extremely close or fused.

She got her master’s degree in community organizing from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.

A family of four came into counseling. Frank, 43, who works so much. Emily, 39, who is a mom that works from home part-time. Two daughters, Sarah (10 years old) and Whitney (6 years old). One night, Frank came home from work, and Emily called a family meeting. Sarah has decided that she would like to have a little brother because a friend of Sarah’s is going to have a little brother. Sarah spoke with Emily about how much she would love a little brother. After thinking about it, Emily decided to speak with her husband about having another baby. Frank did not seem like he wanted another baby at his age, and was thinking about doing a little traveling now that the kids are getting a little older. Frank has been leaving town a lot more, causing

They relied on each other and trusted their parents because they had no reference to any other ways of parenting, which the fourth child was exposed to, which caused her downfall. After moving to New York, Lori, Jeannette, and Brian held jobs and were able to have a steady living. Maureen however, grew up differently than the other kids, and dropped out of college. Due to Maureen always relying on someone else, “she never really applied herself” and caused her to become unsuccessful (Walls 274). She had to move in with Rosemary, but when Rosemary told her she had to move out, she became so upset with her mother she stabbed her.

Gladys is a 25-year-old Vietnamese stay-at-home mother who has been married for 7 years and has three children by her husband. They are all girls with the oldest being 6 years old followed by a 4-year old and now a 3-month old. Gladys reports that her husband always wanted a son. She states that he has always been an angry man but after the birth of their third daughter, his violent behavior has increased. Gladys states that most of his violence and aggression has been directed at her or the house all these years, but now she fears for her

Lori is the oldest child of four children. She is less adventurous than Jeannette. She takes care of her younger siblings instead of

Celeste mentions how she is learning to function on less sleep and is getting used to having no free time. I think their hearts are in the right place, and there is no doubt in my mind that they will be good parents, but like a lot of new parents in today’s society, they are stuck finding time to raise a kid while also working full time jobs. I think the next few years will be difficult but crucial for them as parents. Some things will get easier for them, while others will get more difficult. For example, for Celeste it is easier to figure out what’s wrong with AJ. She said a year ago if he was crying I would worry and have to guess why he’s crying. Now I know usually what’s making him cry and if I don’t he can usually at least tell

This example of a family’s interesting dynamics that come about can be seen in a show called, “The Fosters.” In this show, the Foster family lives in San Diego where Stef Foster and Lena Adams (in later seasons being Lena Adams-Foster) parent five children, four of them being foster children and one coming from a previous marriage. The children’s names are Brandon (17yrs old), who is the oldest, Mariana (16) and Jesus (16), who are twins that were adopted after Stef and Lena got together, and Callie (17) and Jude (13) who are siblings that both got adopted. Stef is the birth mother of Brandon, coming from a previous relationship with another charater named Mike.

Audrey (age 10) has lived with her foster mother (Ms. Gomez) and four other non-kin foster children for one year. Due to neglect, she was removed from her mother’s care when she was eight years old. Audrey has weekly contact with her biological mother, but no contact with her biological father or siblings. She says that she feels welcomed and comfortable in Ms. Gomez’ home, but expects to live with her biological mother and siblings in the future. Audrey believes things would be different when she returns to live with her biological mother because her father will not be there to be mean to her and her mother. She also said, “I will never complain again about my daddy or anyone else, and then I won’t have to worry about the social

The Gillison family has dealt with many emotional situations. Both Meshia and her partner Tahir have lost a parent, which has been very emotionally straining on their lives. Meshia was very close to her father. When he was diagnosed with end stage lung cancer and she had to witness him go through hospice treatment and care it took a toll on her. After her father’s death her mother and sister decided to move down south due to the new financial strains of being without her father’s income. Meshia decided to stay in Connecticut because she thought it would be best to raise her