Personal Narrative: My Family Boundary Management

My family is composed of my father, mother, a younger sister, an older sister, who unfortunately passed away, and myself. I grew up being the oldest child, for my oldest sister passed away before I was born. Although, I never got to meet my older sister her absence has taught me to value the importance of family.

The ideal traditional family consists of a father, a mother, a couple of kids and maybe a dog in a rather spacious home. We all know examples of families like this but are also aware that there are different renditions of it. There are single parent families, divorced/split families, and a family with a remarried couple with stepchildren and same sex couples with/without children. I, myself, have been included in a

Traditional families versus single parent families. A traditional family household is a household with two parents, mother and father. A single parent family household is a one parent household a mother, or father. This household is usually occurs when a parent dies, parents divorce, or the parents was never married and separated after having a child together. The question at hand is would a child be more successful and mentally stable in life growing up in a traditional family household, or single parenting household? This has been an intriguing argument for many years. I strongly believe a child in a single parent home could grow up to be just as emotionally stable and also be just as successful as a child who grows up with both parents.

I knew college was going to change me in many ways. Yet, after my family and I restructured our collective and individual emotional reactivity over the three years that I was away at school, I believed my work in that department was done. I thought transiting into college was difficult, however, I found myself once again unprepared for the aftershock that rocked my family once I return from school. I left college a strong, independent, mature, and differentiated person, or at least I kind of did.

Determining family structure and dynamics as well as defining the family is a complex process. Personally, I come from a very traditional family. Much like the assumptions made by the students in the article Defining Family: Young Adults’ Perceptions of the Parent-Child Bond by Mellisa Holtzman (2008). This is what comes to mind when most people define family; a nuclear family, with married parents, and biological children. However, a family is a complex system and can take on many different forms.

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.

Having a structured family is a very significant part of a child’s life. Having their mother, father and siblings all under the same roof helps them with their childhood development, prevents depression and anxiety as they grow older, and it gives them less to worry about such as where they will be for Christmas or which parent they will be with for their birthday. The normal family structure really started to change in the 1990’s. I am living proof of this. I was born when my mother was dating my father in college. When I was born, they decided to separate which was the start of my split family before I could even comprehend it. As I grew older, I wasn’t allowed to go to my dad’s for more than a day, so he would have to come visit me a couple

Years ago in American society family structure were referred to as a traditional family which was composed of a mother, father, and their children. Many older and religious families in America believe that the traditional family structure is the ideal way to live, however, the concept of the traditional family has greatly diminished over the years. The idea of religion playing

I was raised in an untraditional home. My mother was a teenage parent and my father was older with two children of his own when I was born. Eventually I would have three more siblings join the family. My parents struggled tremendously to care for six children, which forced them to worked several jobs each to provide the necessitates. Providing health care for a family of eight was beyond what my parents could afford even while working two job each, however state medical assistance made sure we each had the care we needed. My parents demanding work load shifted the responsibility of caring for my siblings on me. The financial stress my parents faced continued as I approached college. My decision on which undergraduate university I would attend

On April 15, 2014, my mother, Marie, was admitted to Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins, Georgia for major depressive disorder or clinical depression, dysthymic disorder, anxiety disorder and panic disorder. This was a complete surprise to me and my family because we didn’t recognize the warning signs leading to my mother being admitted to the hospital for treatment. She would remain in the hospital for a week before being released.

Having two parents that aren't together anymore can be very hard at times. It can also be an adventure and a good learning experience. Having divorced parents is not very fun but something that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life.

I have had a diverse range of experiences that have contributed to my understanding of my own role in society, as well as the roles of those around me. I am a caucasian female growing up in a middle class working family of five; including my mother, father, step-father, and an older sister. My parents separated when I was twelve; re-shaping my view of families in Canada. What I had accepted as a ‘normal’ family had been drastically changed. Through the past five years, I have realised that every family looks different and there is value in this diversity. I believe that families are one of the most important institutions in society. They play a large role in developing the identities of children, as it is from family that many people learn moral values and variety

My immediate family consists of my mother, my father, and my two younger brothers. We’re middle class, caucasians. My mother, a female, is in her low to mid forties. My father, a male, is in his mid to late forties. My two younger brothers are within 15 months of each other and the eldest is 14. My youngest brother is about to turn 13 in a few days. I’d say we are a fairly typical family. My parents are still together, which is a lot more than what most kids have. The boys and I are a lot closer than most siblings. The five of us fight constantly, but I chalk that up to the fact that we are all going through the stresses of nearly having three moody teenagers in the same house.

During my younger years, I thought it was pretty normal to be the only kid in my family. My parents got divorced when I was one years old so it must have been easier for them too, knowing they only had to consider the needs of one little baby. Growing up it all started to change. When I had arrangements with friends, even from as early as nursery school, I started to notice their family dynamics. Two parents, and always at least one other sibling. I started to recognize what a ‘real’ family looked like and how a ‘real’ family operated. And after a while, I began to envy my friends, and their supposedly normal family life.

No one can’t meet a family like mine’s. My family is well diversified. Every family member plays an important role in all my family’s lives. In my family, there are four people: my father, my mother, my little brother and me. My father is one who brings money home and is also responsible for organizing and planning family trips. My mother is the one who is in charge for making meals and makes sure everyone eats at the appropriate times. My little brother is the pet of the family. He actually doesn’t have any responsibilities, for he’s the pet. I am the rock of support in my family. I always go beyond my parents’ expectations. I also support my younger cousins and little brother, by being a role model that they can look up to. Another