Frank Gatti: An Untraditional Family

I believe family is such an important part in this family’s life because they are all that each other has got. They hold close to their family because they have been through so much and they see death all around them, so they see the importance of their family. They also are taught from a very young age to respect their elders in the family because they have seen much more and know much more about all aspects of life. They are viewed as wise and knowledgeable and the young family members cherish the opportunity to learn from them. In the movie Gran Torino one

No matter what background you come from or how you were raised, family is extremely important. According to Malinowski, “Family is a necessary institution for fulfilling the task of child rearing in society”(Conley, 2013). Society has come a long way when it comes to family and it is much different than it was in the 1950’s. Not all families are nuclear families. A nuclear family is having a mother, father, and children that are all biological (Conley, 2013). This kind of family is what some would call more “traditional.” Today in the twenty first century it is getting harder and harder to find families that have actually stayed together. There are so many different kinds of families in today’s society, and more and more families are becoming blended families. A blended family is when two families come together (Conley, 2013). Many families today have single mons, single, dads, and even same sex parents. Family is not always the people that live in the same house as you, family also consists of extended family. An extended family is a network that goes beyond the main “nuclear” family (Conley,

There are many different kinds of families that range from traditional (i.e. married) to untraditional families such as divorced, remarried, same- sex, and brady-bunch style. In this day and age, the overall consensus is that families vary and that is okay. There is no right or wrong way of doing things anymore, at least to some extent. I come from a family that is divorced and remarried a few times, and I have many brothers and sisters that share anywhere between all blood, some blood, and no blood. I love them all the same. For my case study project, I thought it would be interesting to observe a family which is somewhat similar to my own.

Family. It is a very fluid yet rigid idea. It has a wealth of definitions, all of which range in degree and magnitude, and vary from person to person; yet the concept of how a family should work and operate is very concrete in most American minds. Family is a bond that is crafted every second of everyday until it is powerful, and this can shape beliefs, outlooks, and confidence. A study found that children with father figures that are highly involved benefit because an immense range of emotions are modelled to them as children, and consequently they will be more adapt at recognizing and expressing their own emotions. In contrast children

Family is important in every culture, it shapes people and makes them who they are.

What does the word family mean to you? In my opinion, family means everything to me. It’s the people I knew since I was born, who I know I can turn to anytime needed. Everyone has their own definition of family, it can be positive, negative, or even both. In the world’s society everyone is born into a family, it can be a traditional, a un-blood related, or an extended family. No matter how well a family relationship can be there is no such thing as a perfect family. In many classic pieces of literature, many writers’ use themes of conflict between the children and their parents. It can be conflicts towards each other or conflicts the family experiences together. In many well know novels, many characters from tragic events of abuse, cruelty, and negligent events kept their courage to survive through terrible events. The story of “Ellen Foster” Kaye Gibbons takes a reader inside a story of young orphaned girl, who is passed down to every family until the she is able to find the perfect one she fit into. In the classic novel “Night” author Elie Wiesel writes a historical piece about a young boy’s experience in a concentration camp. Losing half of his family the young boy Eliezer has to fight with his father through suffering tactics from the Nazis. The classic play “Romeo and Juliet”, William Shakespeare writes a tragic piece about two young lovers being forced to disobey family orders to be with each other. In all three pieces of literature, the characters struggle

A famous actor, Michael J. Fox once said, “Family is not an important thing it is everything”. In the same way, family will be with one through hard times and love one no matter what. The two stories that best prove family is the cultural element that informs the way individuals view others and the world are Two Ways to Belong in America and By Any Other Name. The impact family has on cultural perspective can be clearly seen when one views the teachings, names, books, and tradition. However, family might not always be the best cultural element, because family may disappoint one or not help them. Despite this, family will still be there for their children at difficult times to help them get through their struggles. Family is the cultural

Though I say it nonetheless, it is fairly obvious that most people participate in some kind of a familial unit as previously described, and thus are familiar with the conflicts to which I alluded. The piece by Joan Didion, entitled “On Going

My family has always been very close. We spend a great deal of time together and express our deep feelings and emotions with one another. If one of us has an issue, every member of the family is aware of it and shares the burden. When a person in the family does not share significant information about one’s life with the rest of the members, there is hurt feelings. Also, if a member cannot attend a family event, the family feels disappointed and misses the absent member. It is evident that connectedness is held as extremely valuable.

My own personal experience plays a part here as I don’t believe my family was ever “fully actualized.” Independence and autonomy was stressed, however, warmth and connectedness between members was not. Feelings were definitely suppressed in my household growing up, and even today sharing openly feels awkward. Whitaker, as well as Satir, has inspired my theoretical framework because I see the importance of the affective or emotional layer of family interactions.

I was lucky enough to grow up with so much support. Growing up like this taught me the importance of family and how to learn from them, which I believe led to an even deeper and rapid establishment of our family’s core values. My family as a whole has always taught me the importance of hard work, service, honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, and pure kindness. My Pappaw Buddy was like our superman; no matter what his physical condition was, he was always willing to help our neighbors. He never rested when he was supposed to because to him, there was work to be done. Another very important rule my family follows is to smile and speak to everyone you meet. Establishing meaningful connections has always been important to us, especially in our small-town setting. When my grandfather passed away, the entire town mourned; this showed me how many lives he really did touch, and how important it is to live for others.

Growing up, I never really understood what a “normal” family was supposed to look like. Before I was even born, my parents had split for good (although the were never married). I stayed primarily with my mother, and it was just the two of us for about four years, although we stayed with others along the way. I interviewed my mother about this time in her life and the struggles she went through, that those in a nuclear family might not experience.

The family structure that I grew up with as a child, was my mother, her second husband, my step-father and their two children, my half-sisters. I never knew my

It was a bone chilling January night; my mom received a call at about 11:15 PM, a call that changed my life forever. My Aunt June was on the other line. She was crying so hard my mother could barely understand her. Through the sobbing my mom finally understood that Brian, my cousin, had been in a horrible accident and she didn’t know how bad it was. My mother jumped out of the bed after she hung up the phone. She screamed up the stairs at my sister and me; it was a nerve shrilling scream. I could hear fear in her voice. My mom was always yelling at us growing up if we forgot to do something. She would even get us out of bed to finish something that wasn’t done completely. This particular

Family means many things to different people, yet the word itself can bring about a host of emotions from anyone who hears the word uttered. As a child growing up in the 60s and 70s the family dynamic was defined by the people we grew up with were related to by blood, and extended to the many family members of the different generations that made up the family unit.