The question I frequently ask these days, especially after my two children have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, tends to be: “What is normal?” Growing up, I would consider my family to be a “normal family.” I have a mother and father who have been married for 38 years, and a younger brother who is three years and four months younger than I. We were the typical four-person family with one daughter and one son. My mother considered us the “perfect family” since she had the best of both worlds. To me, this is what a normal family should look like.
One of the most important family value my mother and father taught was to be supportive of one another, and how to be there for your family. My brother and I were both involved in after school activities, including baton twirling for me and soccer and baseball for my brother. My mother made sure we both supported each other by forcing us to attend each other’s events. If I attended one of his baseball games, he was expected to go my twirling competition. My parents modeled their support for us by showing up to every single extra-curricular function my brother and I had. I remember always searching for them in a crowd and always being proud to see them there just to watch me perform.
My father was, and still is, looked to as the leader by not only our immediate family, but also by his brother and sisters. I know my mother and father worked as a team, but ultimately it felt like my father was the one
If our family were compared to the mob, my grandfather would be the Godfather. He is very respected. Family members, young and old, do what they are asked to do by him usually without question. Though he gives the impression that he should not be treated that way, he is still given the greatest respect because of his age, wisdom, and life experience. When he passes, the next eldest or most responsible of his children, or one of his own siblings, will abdicate that right. After the grandfather, the next most prestigious would be the elders, or his siblings.
My grandfather, Darl Schmidt, is a great leader. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and he was part of the Navy Seabees. The Seabees are construction battalions who build things like airstrips, piers, and housing for soldiers. He was in charge of a crew while stationed in the Philippines during the Korean War. After his time in the Navy, he joined the VFW and helped with pancake breakfasts, setting up flags and much more. My grandfather also raised six children with the help of my grandmother. Our family has now grown to be over 50 people and all of this is because he is a great parent and
What role has your family played in your personal development and in your development as a leader?
Even though my mom has always been there, it’s always important to have an older sister or brother that you can look up to and say that’s who I want to be, or that’s what I want to do. I have had to learn from their mistakes and make my own path and find and set an example
is so much drama in the family, I don't even find the need to spend
Having supper and just being with your family (and sometimes friends) each night was essential to the well-being of the family. “We would get together and play cards a lot with my grandparents and friends.” (Meyer, M.). As a child, the community embraced her and her family, so my mom loves having a close-knit group of friends around us. Furthermore, both of her parents were “fairly strict public school teachers” (Meyer, M.), and her father was in the military in the (INSERT WAR HERE). The strictness of her parents is evident by how they belittle me with a ton of chores when I visit. By virtue of this, she grew up valuing education and discipline, yet, this also placed great stress upon her at my age. “I was very stressed about school. I worried and was anxious, and I am glad you are not as overly anxious as I was.” (Meyer, M.) As she grew up, her parent’s involvement in their children’s academics and sports were vital, therefore, my mother is actively involved with me,whether it be math or swimming. My mother has had numerous influences, but what I consider the clearest way is through my willingness to work hard, whether it be to get excellent grades or to get a starting spot, and also to remain close with my friends and those who care about
Growing up as an Army brat. We had to learn a lot of values growing up. Even though my father and I didn't have a strong connection. He was still able to provide for his family. Our family showed a different type of morals. Like never show your true emotions. My brother and I had to learn that. I didn't really know what that meant till I was much older. And? It stuck with me till this day. By showing emotion would show people that you were soft. My mother would show comfort to you if you were struggling but she knew the balance of reasoning. Since growing up and moving out of the house and following the family tradition. By joining the service made my father's and myself relationship stronger. One day my father approached me and asked
Growing up, my mother always encouraged me to be involved in any activity I should interest in, whether that be soccer, softball, theater, or chess club. While my mom did not always have the extra money or time, she never told me I could not pursue a new activity. Through my mother’s actions, I have learned to never settle and to continue to fight and work for better, for myself and others. My mother’s selfless attitude and positive attitude inspire me to have the same attitude with the my future family and the people around me.
Healthcare has long been considered as the domain of the medical profession community and now a revolution of different sorts has taken place in the medical field over the last two decades. As consumers have taken a more proactive role in their own healthcare by searching for a lot of health information online, shopping for physicians, seeking second opinions, self-medicating through over-the counter medications and health food supplements, and inquiring about or pushing physicians to prescribe certain medications f
Education has always been an important foundation upon which my family encouraged the most. Not just the education pertaining to structured schooling, but the fundamentals in life that require you to interact in society and be a part of something bigger than yourself. They demonstrated how to commit to values such as responsibility, motivation, and consistency; and, how to be open-minded and passionate about the things you believe in. These things all required a sacrifice in various ways. They always stress how “sometimes you need to give up something to get ahead, or how sometimes sacrificing the familiar and what you expect from yourself to get the results that you are seeking in the long run.”
A heart attack, a stroke or a cancer diagnosis causes its members to confront the impact of the illness and re-evaluate their position. These illnesses are often life threatening, but critical intervention leads to a steady rehabilitation and possibly full recovery. This cannot be said, for a family impacted by a diagnosis of autism. Autism is a developmental disability that significantly affects three areas: communication, social interaction, and behavior. Autism being a spectrum disorder impacts each individual differently, leaving each family’s experience difficult to compare. Autism being a communication disability brings serious challenges to a family, as this diagnosis impacts the communication strategies. Parents find
Is a healthy mind the result of a healthy body? Careful analysis of available literature certainly agrees that it can be, however it is often unclear why.
I think that the federal government should be equal to the state governments because sometimes you will run into a problem with the law when something is legal in a state but not federally. One example of this would be the legalization of cannabis in the state of California for recreational/medical use it is against federal law. which makes it confusing to know whether or not you are breaking the law. Also, it makes it difficult to move to some other states in the united states like Texas, Idaho, Florida, Oklahoma ETC. Because all those states do not have any laws that legalize cannabis in any way. So if you were to move there and you do cannabis for medical or recreational reasons it wouldn´t matter and you would be breaking state and maybe
My father's protectiveness and selflessness generated at a young age for him. He is the ninth of twelve children, and often told us stories of how he had to look after, and practically raise his three younger siblings after my grandfather had passed. He made certain they completed their chores around my grandmother's farm, maintained good hygiene practices, and kept up with their schoolwork. School was extremely important to my father, because he knew an education was the only way he could be successful.
When I was eight years old my parents separated, and they got officially divorced when I was twelve. After my parents separated, my mother took on being a single-parent. My father gave up all his rights to my sister and I. Prior to my parents separating, my family was considered upper-middle class. My dad worked as a computer engineer, and my mom was a stay at home mother. After my parents split, my sister and I went from having everything to nothing in a day. My mom had to move back in with her parents until she could find a full-time job and a place for us to live. Because I have seen my mother struggle as a single-mother, I matured a lot faster than most children my age. Even though we struggled with money growing up, my mother always made it a point to go on vacation yearly with my sister and I; I have been to over 30 states because my mom loves to road trip. Additionally, it has always been a family tradition of ours to go to the state fair every year. Because of my family experience growing up, I am very independent. I also learned to appreciate the little things in life. My mom always taught my sister and I that time spent with family is far more valuable than materialistic things. My mother and I are very close to this day, and I will forever be grateful for everything she has done for my sister and me.