Dad: John
My father was a very consistent, firm and direct when I was a child. Every morning he would get up at 5:00 am to be at work by 6:00 am and return home by 3:00 pm. The relationship between my father and I was non-existent. You couldn't really laugh or joke with him. He always seemed to be too serious. My father cared about homework and grades. He made sure that we did work over the summer. He took us to the library and educational events. He was very stern about education and chores. My father was the bread winner. He brought home the bacon and provided for us financially but he was not a nurturer. He taught us responsibility. Now that I'm older our relationship is better, I can talk with him. Even though he turns our conversions into politics or religion debates, I still am able to talk to him. Now I understand him more. My father served in the military for years. He even severed in the Vietnam War and so I believe that experience mad him tough as nails.
Mom: Deanna
My mom was my nurturer. She is the person I would go to if I had to cry or talk. She was the one who asked about my day. My mom was a stay at home mom for most of my early childhood so it was comforting to come home to a smile and a hot meal. My mom took us places the zoo, disney, chuckie cheese, shopping...etc. She was the fun loving parent for me. She is the one I would go to with social problems. As I grew up I knew and felt my mom just wanted us to be happy in life. She wasn't really pushy. She let us figure out our interests. Today our relationship is still the same. We still laugh and joke. We still shop and travel. And now she does so with my children.
Uncle and Aunt: Renee and Tim
As I grew up I spent a lot of time at my Aunts house. Their marriage was fun to be around. My aunt and uncle would treat us (Myself and 2 Siblings) as her own. She would take us to the park, movies, and stores. She would ask about my grades and buy birthday gifts. She made me feel loved. She showed that she cared. My uncle was a nurturer as well. He would play with us. Run, jump, play board games, and tell jokes. He was upbeat even after he came home from work. He would watch movies with us. He would be in our corner. Today my aunt and uncle are still happily married and now that I have a family of my own they give us sound advice. They babysit for us from time to time or they'll just come to hang out.
Siblings: Brittany and Nicole
My sisters were there through thick and think. We cried together, we schemed together, we played together. As the middle child I was taught how to be a big sister and how to be a little sister. I knew when mom and dad were gone my oldest sister was in charger. I also knew when my oldest sister was not around, I was in charge for looking out for my little sister. My oldest sister took care of us after school once my mom went back to work. She would make sure that we ate and did our homework. And if she was not there I would do the same for my little sister. This level of responsibility as a child made me confident to be a leader. And as my childhood progressed I was often a motherly figure for my peers. They would come to me with their problems or ask advice. Having siblings taught me how to share, how to fight, how to lie, and how to be honest lol! But most importantly how to love unconditionally.
My brother and I have a very similar relationship that you and your sisters have! We did EVERYTHING together! We were always scheming on something and thinking of something crazy to do. And I definitely agree that having a sibling is what teaching some great values likes sharing and how to be honest...and like you said "to love unconditionally". I couldn't have said it better myself!
ReplyDeleteI love your last statement! I also especially like how you describe your roles and how they changed as things changed in your family. Like when your mom went to work and then again when your oldest sister was not there. This was true in my own family and I believe it to be true for most. Although we may have certain roles, I believe those roles are often changing as families evolve.
ReplyDeleteJacqualine I definitely believe that the military was partially responsible for your dad's personality, as well as he wanted to ensure that he provided for his family and that in turn you all would secure a good education. From my experience, adults believe that children are children so they don't bother to communicate. At that time, his responsibilty to you was to ensure you were fed and your education taken care of. I believe that those were the times that he also grew up in.
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