My Family Tragy : Essay, And Family Traditions

Sunday visits weren’t just about the dinners. It was a day to spend with family to laugh, play, and socialize. A Sunday wasn’t complete without the food, wine (for the adults of course) laughter, and a card game. Games were as important as Sunday gravy. Most of the time we

One such tradition is not socializing with neighbors but only talking to her sisters or other family members. Both of my great-grandparents came from a large family and so the Sunday was always considered family day. It was nothing to see a yard off of kids playing or see the men playing a game of horseshoes as the women would set out the dinner. However, it was the winter time that holds the most memories for my mother. It was then that the families would all gather at the family pond and go ice skating and the men would build a big fire and everyone would stand around and drink hot chocolate. One such tradition in the winter time was right after the first snow fall of the season. We would take a big mixing bowl and go out and fill that bowl as full as we could. Then she would go in and make a big bowl of snow ice cream (Food in Every County). One bright sunny day, our family was going to Lake Pomme De Terre for a family picnic. Like Shteyngart, I was all set for some grilled hamburgers or hot dogs or even some fried chicken. However, that was not meant to be. Like Shteyngart, is aw food being set out that was I saw food that was familiar to my great-grandmother’s culture. Instead of grilling hamburgers, she set out chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans and for dessert a shoofly pie, sugar cookies, and schnitz pie, which is made with dried apples (Food in Every County). My mother laughed when she saw my face because later my

Family! Family! Family! Family can be a wonderful thing. It can be healthy or unhealthy. It can be functional or dysfunctional. Family means different things to different people. Some families are loving and close. Some families are mean, hateful, and distant. There are different types of relationships within a family unit. Relationships can be enmeshed, detached, or disengaged; these types of relationships are unhealthy. The family system can be open and homeostatic; these kinds of relationship are healthy. We are all born into different families with different situations. Sometimes life can be hard, with all of its facets and difficulties, and ups and downs. Looking at the past of one 's life can be a happy event for some, but for others, it can be tormenting to have to reminisce about the past.

Stephanie Coontz in “The Way We Weren’t: The Myth and Reality of the Traditional Family” emphasizes that the traditional and ideal nuclear family widespread in media and textbooks are false and far from reality. In fact, it is common to see more similarities to the traditional family consistent of “male breadwinner and nurturing mother” (1) today than in the past.

In the mid 70’s, my family bought a cabin on the Illinois River. We spent all our free time there, weekends and most of the summer. For years my family enjoyed their time at the “clubhouse” as we called it. It was our home away from home. There were about 20 cabins there, so it was like our own little community. Just about everyone there was like extended family. Any time someone needed help, the neighbors showed up. Everyone there had similar interests, hunting, fishing, boating and water skiing. I spent most of my days enjoying these activities.

In many ways current American cultural beliefs and norms related to gatherings and traditions are similar to those of non-industrialized societies. Examples of family gatherings that we in our American society share include; Thanksgiving, Super bowl parties, and Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner however is based on religious beliefs so we will leave it out of this discussion for the purpose of in composing all American citizens in the discussion.

My family (my mom, dad, brother, and I) drive up to Mears, Michigan every year for a weeklong family reunion on my mom’s side. The days are always filled with laughter and games, whether we’re playing The Settlers of Catan or a heated soccer match. My uncles always bring strange, unheard-of games like Kubb or fowling, and they teach us all how to play them. Our entire family eats dinner together every night, and we play games with the entire family after dinner.

I was also raised in a very simple, southern background. My family loves to cook southern style food. I am like you, I do not really care for fried food. I guess its because I was raised eating so much of it, over time I just got tired of it and wanted to eat a bit healthier. I love Mac n Cheese, I could honestly eat it with every single meal. My family gathers together a lot, and we will play music but no one really dances. We do not have any special traditions as far as types of music or dances either; we keep it really simple. When my family gets together, its simple like your family, it mainly consists of everyone bringing a food item, and enjoying each others company.

The meaning behind the tradition is to appreciate, and recognize the value of family. It’s also a group effort where everyone contributes food so that we have an amazing dinner. The goal of the event is to remind us that families need to stick together, and work together as a team to excel. I personally found the tradition to be something that felt like an obligation rather than something people want to go to. Some family members are happy to see each other, but most of the time there’s a sense of exasperation among the

For as long as I can remember, I have valued the importance of tradition and simplicity. Instead of playing computer games with my siblings, I remember begging to play a simple game of tag or throw a ball back and forth. Although my siblings tease me to this day about my desire to play such elementary games, I pride myself on my values of customs and simplicity. Elements of my most valued memories include my family coming together to engage in what we could all involve ourselves in and enjoy. The few times we took a break from our personal issues was to come together to share or forget them. These sessions usually took place around our wooden dinner table and now that I am starting a life of my own, I imagine the one empty chair at the table. The once lively “New family dinners” are reduced to only four members and as uncomfortable as I am with it, I am aware that our entire family’s dynamic is changing. Like the story, “They Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the absence of tradition can make some uneasy.

Who is Lane Derouin? Well that’s me and I am going to tell you all the facts and big stories that impact my life. I was born in Dubuque Iowa in 2005, February 16th . I have gone to many different places I have first gone to Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and then to New York, my family and I were going up to see other relatives in New York so we decided to drive and see all of these different places. I currently live in Iowa and go to Jefferson middle school with all of my friends, I like to read and write but my favorite class is art class I love to draw and it's just fun all together and being around my friends.

“Bittersweet-that’s what I’d call one of my favorite books, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler. Talk about a dysfunctional family.” (p. 140) The author relates that Ezra, one of the children in the Tull family, dreams of the family celebrating a meal together. It seems Dad is on the road again (but actually gone for good). Ezra takes over a restaurant and thinks that this would be a good time to get the family together for a meal, but it doesn’t work out that way. Celebration in a healthy family is built-in to the family structure. It can be at mealtime or a family outing event. These families make it a point to set time aside just for family which would include any form of celebration. These form positive memories that family members will look back on with fondness.

We are the Schoeningh/Gregory family. My mother’s side is the Schoeninghs, a heavily-German family whose roots primarily lay in Northern California. The Gregorys are my father’s side, a mixed-breed of all different nationalities who have lived in Newport Beach for as long as one can remember. Though both sides could not be more different, we have found harmony in the uniting bonds of kinship. We come together for various reasons throughout the year, but each holiday has its own uniform traditions. Uncle Joey’s birthday may go by and we forget to call, but there has not been an Easter in years where we did not gather at Grandpa Sam’s for morning brunch and Christmas Eve has never slipped by without us all shuffling to Oma and Papa’s for hours

My family always wanted everyone to be happy, so we always go somewhere for a day or take them shopping. It is mostly like a ritual we do for that one family or kid that we surprise the kid or family for the day, so it is like a Christmas for the child or family.

One of these is that on Thanksgiving everybody comes together to my parents’ house in New Jersey for a huge feast. On Christmas only my mother and the children (me and my brother) travel to Illinois to spend a week with my grandparents. On New Years Eve we all get together at my parents’ house in New Jersey and toast to the New Year with champagne and apple cider. During Labor Day weekend all of my family travels to South Jersey to my grandfathers’ condo. We usually spend all of our time on the beach and barbequing, except on Sunday when we go to church. After all, my grandfather is a minister. One of our biggest family traditions is going back to Puerto Rico. Every year my mother and I travel back to Puerto Rico for a portion of our summer vacation. Now that I am older I travel there more often and stay there much longer. My father never joins because he doesn’t like my mothers side of the father too much and he thinks that we when we speak Spanish we are all plotting against him. Of course that’s not true though. My bother doesn’t speak Spanish so he doesn’t like to go either. I guess that tradition is one that belongs solely to my mother and I.