Growing Up In A Culturally Diverse Family

Families around the world consist of many variations. The traditional family includes a mother and father of the same racial background and their children. While this is the most acceptable type of family dynamic, today there are families that consist of countless different types of deviations. Many children grow up with one parent, gay parents, or with their grandparents. There are also families that consist of two parents that are of different races. Interracial families consist of relatives who are from diverse origins. Interracial families include families where the parents are of two different races or when the adopted children are of a different race than their parents.

Whether it was my persistent requests for my mother dreadlock my hair at the age of 8, or the immediate connection I had to the dancehall mixes played in the backgrounds of family gatherings, I was very proud of the person that my native land was bound to shape me into. But this held opposite to those of the “outside world”. Soon, I became one of the very few minorities in my classroom, with those of fairer skin and origins rooted in European countries becoming the majority. At the sight of them, the thought “am I truly as beautiful as my mother told me I am” popped into my mind, with the image that I had to carry being seen as substantially different compared to those who now surrounded me. My youth soon persisted of me being completely aware of how “different” I truly was, however, this awareness only consisted of a [blank] percentage of negative feelings. But then, age 11 hit. The year I was pushed to experience a much larger scope of the world than elementary school had allowed me: a 6th grade academy. Sure, the neighborhood and the friends that I had known prior were still present, the new setting and set of people that this school added into my life proved to have its lasting

Diversity in American families is continuously growing. Today, there are families with two mothers, families with a white father and an Asian mother, families containing many or no children. The diversity of families is becoming wider with more acknowledgement and acceptance in people and their beliefs. Before when discussing a family, one would describe it as a mother and father married with a child or two; today, the word family describes something much bigger than what was taught in the past. When the word family comes to mind, the generic American family is no longer the only thing pictured, rather a single-mother and her son is pictured laughing or a Hispanic woman and her African American husband is pictured walking their dog. The image of a family is no longer compacted into a single idea, rather it has taken many forms containing

What is family? Family will always be there, no matter the situation you're in. There love will be unconditionally. You can’t just pick any family you just get blessed. Every family has their own weirdness, craziness or traditions. Unlike my family there’s something special about them that’s unexplainable. I’m thankful for both sides of my families; I love each and everyone of them. The amounts of love and support that I received from them has help me become the person that I am today.

Compared to Single race individuals, multiracial people have a wider variety of ways to define their ethnic identity. For example, a multiracial person who has two or more races could choose to identify exclusively as one race, or identify with both groups. Another option would be to go beyond the standard individual race options and identify as “multiracial” a category that defines ethnic characteristics in terms of the shared experiences of people who are multiracial, as distinct from individual race groups. Yet, there is a plethora of research examining what factors influence the extent to which multiracial people come to identify with the multiracial category. (Giamo, Schmitt, & Outten, 2012)

My daughter has diverse cultural experiences encompassed from Asia to Southern and Northern America. I aim to foster my daughter to have a core vision of a global leader who can develop inquisitive, knowledgeable, self-aware, and ethical minds for the next generation. I strongly believe that the experience from Dwight community will train her talent and broaden her perspective. It will be a great opportunity and valuable experience for her to develop a wider vision and innovative perception for her future.

Chester describes the neo-conventional family as a dual-earner family, in which both souses go to work. It is similar to Young and Willmott's idea of the symmetrical family.

My family and I have always lived in a minority community. Our family consist of six

I have not faced great adversity, but I have had a personal challenge that has shaped my behavior and thoughts. I came from a secure and caring family of seven. I bear a striking physical resemblance to and the same last as name as my half-brother. He is fifteen years older and an apparently unforgettable character. He is bright and crafty, also psychologically, socially and behaviorally challenged. Problems medication could not help with. I attended school in the very same small, rural school district with the same teachers and administrators as my brother for the first nine years. Whether my teachers believed that they were protecting me or others, I spent nine years under intense scrutiny. I worked too quickly or too slowly, I laughed too loud or was sullen. Teachers went through my desk and locker and any trash that I threw away. If a group of boys were heard using a ‘naughty word,’ my mother was the one called. My grades were good, attendance excellent, I wasn’t sent to the principal’s office but my teachers called my mother to ‘check in.’ Walking a fine line made me angry and wish I was invisible. In middle school, I settled for reserved and quiet, disengaged. I grew tall and

I chose Urie Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of child development to reflect on my stages of development. In the microsystem of Bronfenbrenner’s model, my early childhood family structure included my uncle, his wife and their five children. I went to live with my uncle after my mother passed away. By middle childhood, my uncle and his wife migrated to the United Sates and I went to live with one of his daughters( Erica) and her two children. They became my construct of what a family represent. Although I was welcomed in Erica’s family, I felt as if I did not belong in their family. The only place I felt accepted was at school. The classroom represented a place where I expressed my feelings without being ignored or judged by my peers. Also, I had very observant and understanding teachers who had the best of my interest. I had one teacher , Mr. Francis, who believed that I was capable of improving academically. At the end of his class, he noted in my report card that I had potential to be academically competent, however, I needed to settle down and apply myself to learning. His comments motivated me to do my best throughout elementary school. During elementary school, I maintained healthy relationships with my peers. There were never any reports of misconduct of any misunderstanding amongst my peers. In fact, interactions with them thought me how to engage in fair play, wait my turn, build trust and explore my environment. In exploring my environment, I

Being part of a multicultural household can feel like putting your hand up in class and never getting picked.

Growing up in an immigrant family, I faced many unique challenges. One of my greatest obstacles was believing I was inadequate because of my cultural background. Overwhelming myself with this victim mentality was easy, as the struggles my family faced seemed far from fair. Throughout my childhood, I spent most of my time outside of school at my father’s upholstery shop in the local flea market. Undertaking small sewing jobs was my parents’ way of financially supporting their young family.

As I got older, I found myself wanting more socialization than I was getting, and was sick of trying so hard (without much success) to gain that element of socialization that I lacked. That was when I made the decision to take a shot at public school. It was ninth grade

On a scale of one to ten, I consider myself to be a 7. I consider myself to be a 7 because I still need to learn more about what it means to be 100% multi-culturally competent. I am aware that I need look at my beliefs and values and how I associated them to other cultural groups. I also know the importance of being family with cultural backgrounds of different cultural groups. I am also aware that I need understand any kind prejudice and discrimination that has gone through in the past or is presently experiencing. I did not choose a higher number because there are some areas in myself that I need to work on. I think I need more time to learn about myself and how I view other cultures. I did not choose a lower number because I am not only taking Counseling Skills and Practices but I am also taking Counseling and Pluralistic Society. Other classes, I have taken while at Long Island University have touched on counseling a diversity population. Besides taking these classes, moved to New York has exposed to different cultures and their way of living. I have come to understand that people are different and have their own views of the world. Just because someone is different from me that does not mean I have to think less of them.

Getting the opportunity to create a genogram for my family allowed me to view the cultural influence, history, and articulate reflection of my experience within my family. Although I have been raised in a small family, there are many behavioral trend that have transcended throughout the three generations that I had looked into while doing this assignment. These behavioral characteristics impact they way in which my family interacts, communicate, and support. It also affects my own interaction with others.