The Relationship Between My Grandmother And My Family

My great-grandmother was the matriarch of my family. When I was in seventh grade, around thirteen years old, she passed away due to breast cancer. This misfortune created an extremely difficult time for me because, not only was I adjusting to the environment of junior high, but many other issues were occurring in my life; this was the third death that I was having to deal with. Unfortunately, one of the previous deaths (that I was still trying to hurdle through and come to terms with), had occurred almost exactly a year before the passing of my great-grandmother. The second death that I had gone through occurred only one or two months before my great-grandma has passed. All of this turmoil created numerous internal conflicts for me, but also taught me a key lesson to keep note of, for the rest of my life.

I told one of the ladies to call your father, your father rushed from his job to the hospital and was with me the whole time.”

The hour and a half was up. My mom and brother were going to the front doors, when she got a call from my dad.

Who in your life has caused you to become a better person? For some people it's a parent who has shaped you since the day that you were born. For others it's the stranger who always says hi to you when you see them on the street. Maybe it’s the couple down the block who struggles to make ends meet, but always has a positive attitude. It may even be the person who has hurt you the most. These people make us a better person even when we least expect it. I never realized the effect my grandmother had on my life until she stopped recognizing me.

"Now that you're up I can tell you and your sister some very important news."

Soon came the day where a huge argument over a cable bill came way, resulting in cut ties for almost two years. I went two years without seeing my grandma, someone who I once saw every single day. I would drive by her house and want to stop in and say hi, but I was scared that the grudge uncle Tim had against my dad had transferred over to me. A crazy idea as I was about 13 at the time, and had nothing to do with the argument. Still even knowing that, I did not want to see the real outcome of what were to happen if I stopped in.

The Longest rollercoaster I have been in is the rollercoaster of the relationship between my grandmother and I. “ I feel like I have been waiting on something that isn’t going to happen” (http://boldomatic.com/view/post/A9FZeg) From the beginning of time I have hated my grandmother and most of my life I didn’t know why. Most people love their grandparents and worship them for their lovingness and general nature but for me it has always been this deep seeded hatred when it came to my grandmother. She is my grandmother from my father’s side and I am her oldest grandchild. Thus, my grandmother and I have a particular others relationship.

As I grew up it was made more aware to me of the family problems that were happening. My family seemed so separate already but it felt even more distant when my aunt and my dad did not get along. My aunt and I were very close when I was younger and we would do many things together with my uncle and cousin. With my dad and aunt not being on good terms it made it very stressful and difficult for me to spend time with both. I felt as if I would potentially upset my dad every time I did something with my aunt but I also felt like I would upset my aunt for not seeing her at all. This was one thing that I tended to worry about a lot when I was younger. Everyone’s feelings matter to me and especially my families, the last thing I wanted to do was upset someone. My grandmother helped me through most of my setbacks. I would stay with my grandmother and me would always talk about the family problems. She always helped me through them and that’s why I am so happy that I could always come to her, she was my support system. My grandfather, while he was living, was the one family member that always wanted our family together and because of him we started to grow

So when getting to this home it was kind of a culture shock, due to the organization of her home. I felt nervous and afraid at the same time because it was a new place. My previous living arrangements was one of disorganization. My first organization was in this family was meeting my all the people in my family at a dinner. At this dinner everyone introduced themselves and expectations were explained.

That summer. That summer was one to remember, not because I swam at the beach every day with my "besties," but because it was in that summer that I realized how much I had matured and grown as a person. It was one of those things that makes me smile every time I look back on it, even though it was by far the saddest day of my life. I had lost friends, to death and differences, but I had never been left raw with grief over the loss of them like I did with the loss of my beloved pup, Susie. The day my dog died, a part of me died as well, but I also discovered a part of myself that I had never seen before. Even though I was terribly sad about her death, I also experienced happiness in the little, everyday things. Everyone knows how cheerful our canine friends are; Susie was no exception. When she was put to rest, it was as if I had inherited her glee and positivity. I became stronger than ever in that summer to remember.

The strong emotional bond between grandparents and grandchildren (Bengston,2001), has become of great interest in today’s literature. As life expectancy has increased, so have the amount of multigenerational families (Barranti, 1985). Grandchildren are therefore able to have a relationship with their grandparents for longer. Positive health and well-being outcomes for both grandparents and grandchildren are able to be observed in this relationship. For the purpose of this essay, health will be defined as mental health including the absence of depressive symptoms. Psychosocial development and well-being of children aged between 11 and 16 will be discussed. No definitive aged grandparents will be observed however, child (11-16), adolescent (18-23) and adult grandchildren (32 years) will be focused upon. Involvement will be defined in several ways; face to face contact and functional and emotional support.

I dedicate much of my personality and perception on life to my grandmother. She has been a profound influence throughout my life. I have grown as a person from what I’ve experienced and seen from her. From her powerful beliefs and unconditional love, to her unbelievable generosity, my grandma has guided me through life. There are many influential people in my life, but I believe my grandmother is one of the largest in molding my personality and growth. She has always been a positive influence on me, showing me right and wrong, building my character, and has offered me many opportunities to learn from her teaching and to learn from the mistakes she’s made in her life.

I knit constantly. It all started when I was nine years old and, my family and I spent the holidays in Jackson, Mississippi with my dad’s side of the family. On Christmas morning, we awoke to Mannheim Steamroller’s “Deck the Halls” echoing throughout the house. If you’ve ever heard this version you know there’s no sleeping through it. With a handful of aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins, wrapping paper flew and ribbon was strewn about, the hardwood was a field of red and green. Soon, I came across a pair of huge size 50 wooden knitting needles and a skein of multicolored yarn. My grandma was going to teach me how to knit.

My grandmother was living with us at the time and I became very close to her. She was my safe haven

My relationship with my aunt is something else. I don’t think a lot of people say there aunt is like a sister to them. My aunt is a human named Laura Brunke. Born on February 2nd of the year 1982. If she was not born on the 2nd of February in 1982, and named Laura Brunke I don’t know where i’d be today all these years filled with perseverance and passions from being influenced by her from her generation.