Family life

    “Throughout history, in every culture, whether in poverty or prosperity, there has been the ever-present need to shelter, clothe, feed, and care for each other.” I love this quote because it is true, and will always remain true. This week due to Thanksgiving I only had my family class once this week, but I stilled learned a ton. This week we discussed family life, specifically, how it has changed over time.

   

   The family is the fundamental basis in our lives. In the family we learn how to live, take care of ourselves and others, and how to cooperate with others. In the family we learn how to love, serve, and teach others. We learn these skills as children from our parents. Our parents are our best teachers.

   

   Since the beginning of time husband and wife have worked together, side by side to make a living for each other and later their children. When one pictures a typical working family in history the picture of dad working in the fields, and mom working in the kitchen comes to mind, while the children worked with the parents. This picture is not completely true, in fact this idea of dad gone working and mom at home doing the house work is a fairly recent development. Husband and wife would work together in the fields alongside their children. This dynamic built family ties.

    

   Studies have shown boys and girls communicate differently, well we all knew that, but how differently? Young women and mothers are more apt to talk things out amongst each other while doing things. An example of this could be women are more likely to talk things out while in a group cooking, sewing, or just in a group enjoying each other’s company. Men are more likely to talk about things while working shoulder to shoulder. This means they will talk while doing physical labor. While doing the labor it gives the men a chance to think before they speak.

   

    Over time the family stopped working side by side. As the 19^th and 20^th century came into view men started working away from home leaving the women to work the house. As the men left the children became deprived of the bonding working side by side with dad created. This in turn did not prepare their children for the work load at home. I believe it also left them not being able to express their problems as well. As fathers went off to work, children took up the work at home. This changed family life as well. As dad went away for work he slowly becomes a stranger in his own house.

    

   In the family the work the family does together helps to teach roles. Parents help develop leadership skills in their children. They also help develop helping roles and skills. Work does not have to be boring, or horrible. It can build a child’s sense of accomplishment. An example used in class was a garden. A student has her three children and husband help plant flowers in their garden. She understands and helps her children understand that the garden will take time and a lot of hard work, but when all is said and done she shows her three children what they made happen because of their hard work. They made the flowers grow. This to me is a great example because it shows the good and sense of accomplishment that can come from doing work.

   

   “Family identity is built moment by moment amidst the talking and teasing, the singing and storytelling, and even the quarreling and anguish that may attend such work sessions.” We are on this earth to accomplish many things in our lives. We cannot do it with our families, and through our own hard work. Parents teach your children the value of hard work. Help your children in that work. You will grow closer to your children this way than by any other way. Your children will have great memories of you teaching them to do something that will help them later in life. They will talk to you about what’s going on in their lives.