My Imaginary Family

Families, as units, are extremely complex and vary drastically from one another. A person might be under the impression that his or her own family is nothing special, especially if they are accustomed to their family’s routines. After analyzing my own family through the sociological lenses of an assortment of scholars, it is now clear that it is not as simple as it seems. Sociologically analyzing my family through the divorces that have occurred in my life makes it clear that divorce can have an impact on a variety of family dynamics, such as my parents and their jobs and domestic duties, the amount of involvement they have with their friends and family, as well as my financial dependence on my parents.

As a child, I was quiet and withdrawn. I taught myself to read when I was three, and spent most of my time reading instead of playing with other children. I understood very early that I was different from others at school. I didn’t have to pay for lunch, something I found (and to be honest, still find) completely mortifying. My father was almost never home, always trucking all over the country in an effort to keep our family afloat. When other kids talked about their dads in school, I often found myself feeling jealous. I, too, wanted a dad who could teach me how to ride a bike or throw a ball. I also understood that it was impossible for me to have that, because my father worked around the clock to keep my family from going hungry. I realized that in order to achieve the things that I wanted to, i would have to take the initiative and do it myself. I borrowed my sister’s bike (although it was much too tall for me to use comfortably), and I practiced riding it until i knew i was better at it than any other 7 year

Sometimes I wish I was an only child. I have an irritating brother. Ross is my 18 year old brother. Our birthday’s are 1 day apart and I dislike it. When we were younger we always had our parties together. I hated having them together and his friends. My Grandma is psychotic! After my Grandpa passed away we realized she doesn’t know how to do anything. She doesn't even remember my name. My Grandma always gets Ross’ girlfriend’s name right, but never remembers mine. My family calls me the “Forgotten Child” because of my Grandma and great-aunt, Phi-Phi. I love spending time with friends and family! My friends and I love to travel together. Our recent trip we took was to Chicago. We went for a concert and got stuck standing in the rain for 2

My milestones of learning how to talk, use the toilet, walk, etc. was all learned and achieved and the right age. My grandma was the main one teaching me all these things. Both of my parents were full time workers. My dad was a chef, he would work very long hours; sometimes I would only remember seeing him at 2 in the morning, thats if I even woke up to hearing him open the garage. My mom was, and still is, a beautician, working in Boca Raton, at The Beauty Spot- a nail salon. She would work every Tuesday through Saturday from as early as 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It was “rare” to be with both my parents at the same time. But apparently, even with their busy work schedules and raising me, they found time to make baby number two (yuck).

I Knew I was loved as a child, but I had so much responsibility that at times I would quietly resent my mom for placing such a heavy burden on my tiny shoulders. When all I wanted was to be like other children, without a care in the world, playing in a playground with the beautiful sun shining down on us as our childhood minds captured these moments to enjoy again as adults reminiscing about it as if it was an old video or picture. I remember keeping my resent locked down and just being a good mommy’s helper. All my sadness fears and things I found to be a challenge would be kept in my heart. I would find my validation from helping other and putting myself on the back burner because I felt like I would be too selfish if I just did not

I moved into a new room and didn’t have to bug my sister for attention, but when I did, it was the same old routine, make Hannah cry, sit back and laugh, make Hannah cry more. Although I wanted to get out and escape it, I grew an incredible love for my brother and sister when they moved out. I never really knew what it was like to be alone. I had never witnessed the shattering sound of silence, because there was always something going on in my house. My sister got married when I was 13 and from then on things changed. I gained another brother.

I grew up a happy child. Like other kids, I was care-free, innocent and untroubled. I was impulsive; I couldn’t stand being inside the house for a long time. I played with a lot of my neighbors who were my age and I would enjoy every second of it. As a kid, I also grew up traveling a lot. My parents were fond of leaving the country to visit my cousins, uncles & aunts, and other beloved relatives living in the other side of the world.

Even though I was a baby that would fuss, cry, and throw tantrums I was loved by all of my family members. Having a baby around was not very weird in our family since there were two older cousins, which were Skyler and Cameron. Also, there was my older sister Elizabeth who loved me for about the first months of my existence. My mom did not like me always having to be with her, but she got used to doing everything with me on her hip. The world was definitely not prepared for my entrance!

My big sister moved away when I was 6. So for most of my life, I was an only child. Everything was mine, and my parents were very involved in my life. Then, there I was, 10 years old, and my parents handed me a note that read of my mother being pregnant, I had thought about this. Eventually, I actually got excited. It was lots of fun throughout the journey, but a month before my brother was supposed to be born, my mom went into labor.

Then we went on a family vacation to Disney World and it just pushed me over the edge. Everybody there had an older or younger brother. They all had somebody to kid around with and go on all the rides with. I wanted a brother. A couple days into the vacation my mom and I were waking through the wildlife exhibits of the amusement park. I tugged on her arm and said to her, “I want a younger brother.” She laughed and said, “We will see what God gives us.”

My parents took custody of my sister’s children, which then began the chaotic day-to-day home life that usually left me in tears by bedtime. I was in middle school at the time, as a middle school aged girl I felt a whirlwind of emotions. I wanted to do things that other kids my age were doing but that wasn’t always possible. With very mentally handicap children in our home it wasn’t easy to just invite a friend over to come spend the night, not only would my mom say no but also I was far too embarrassed. I wanted to go out and eat in a restaurant like I heard my friends talking about, but no, going out to eat with my sister’s children would be very difficult because they couldn’t sit still or refrain from making loud noises in public places. I wanted my mom to take my friend and I to the movies rather than always going with a friend and their mom, but my mom was always tied down to caring for my sister’s

As a child I used to believe that my life could not get any better because at the age of 6, I had everything that I ever wanted. I was the center of attention and my parents always had enough time to play with me. I always received the most expensive toys, dolls and clothes from my relatives and cousins. I was also brash and troublesome, purposely placing my older siblings in trouble whenever they made me cry or when they don’t follow the things I wanted them to do. In short, I had the life of a very spoiled, stubborn and ignorant child but nevertheless, I used to believe that my life was perfect. That was before my parents told me that I was having a younger sibling.

Kids create their imaginary friends through the personification of objects around them. They can form pretend friends out of their huggable bears, dolls, action figures, and even cars. They can also give birth to them from fantasy-based creatures and entities, such as angels, ghosts, monsters, and dragons. Imaginary friends among children are a common and normal occurrence in their lives and usually, help them in many ways than most imagined.

I grew up in a household slightly different from the average household. This abnormal household showed me that no matter the family unit someone can have a positive influence in their life that will push them to achieve their goals. We lived in Maryland so the cost of living was high my parents had to work multiple jobs. This means my brother and I really had little to none parental or supervision growing up. I am only four years younger than my brother so I would hang with his crowd of friends rather than mine. In my household, my mother’s niece, Monet lived with us she is about ten years older than my brother. When my brother and I would wake up and I would be the only person in the house. I can remember waking up and smelling the freshly cooked waffles and bacon downstairs. Monet was my mother’s brother, daughter. Monet became so close to my brother Avery and I she was almost as if she was our sister. I can remember growing up and she would always say, “You don't have to take the route I took, its many more exits on the highway.” Even though I was young I was not blind to the fact of Monet role in the community and her neighborhood job I never judged her, she did what she had to do to make ends meet. It was an experience every day, or anytime being with Monet. She was so popular around Maryland it was almost like everywhere we went we received respect love. Now that I look back at the past, I see that Monet has taught me a lot that I know and live by today. I could

Imaginary friends are common for kids to “play” with growing up, but in my case my imaginary friends were actual people who I just didn’t know. Growing up I learned I had two biological brothers that were adopted when I was one. I’d always dreamed about what it would be like to meet them and play with them. After sixteen years that dream became a reality.