Essay Sample: Culture and Values of the Family

A family is the basic social unit that is made by people with close ties. Parents and children make the essential family whereas extended families are founded by people with marriage ties such as cousins, uncles, nephews, and nieces. A family is a fundamental social unit that presents an environment for one to grow and also gives people a source of identity. Most people associate themselves with their families because it provides a sense of belonging in a very diverse world. A family sets an individual identity through a culture which includes the values, expectations and the rules that are set by the society. A family can, therefore, be termed as a bridge to society and the basic foundation in life because of the culture and values within a family shape people's behavior and thinking. Besides, the experiences and values within a family are very important in developing a child's social behavior. In this case, a family should provide an anchor for children to grow morally, socially and emotionally.

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My Grandmother's Family Situation about My Age

At about my age, my grandmother had just become a widow, and she was raising ten children on her own after the death of her husband. Of the seven children were not her children but her co-wife children and three were of her own. The mother of the seven other children had abandoned them and decided to get remarried because she still felt that she was young and instead of becoming a widow after my grandfather had died she decided to get married again. It was not a difficult fete for my grandmother living on a farm and raising ten children. My grandmother has always been a loving and strict parent to my parent. Discipline, love, and unity were her most important philosophies that she instilled in her children with the aim of ensuring that they can rely on each other after the death of their father. My grandmother did raise her children and those of her co-wife without discrimination and ensured that each child had necessities and education. Working on the farm helped my grandmother to be able to provide for her extended family. She used the help of her children in the farm to be able to grow wheat which she traded for the basic needs of the family.

My Family Situation Currently

I was born in a family of 4 children in which my parents both had two children before they met. I got married to a man who previously had a family but got divorced at the age of 25. My former husband had two sons in his previous marriage and myself I have a son. Two years ago we got separated due to irreconcilable reasons, and currently, I am a single mother raising my son. Since I got divorced, I decided to give my son the best a mother can get and presently as a family we are starting from scratch. My objective is to raise my son into a God-fearing and responsible man who will be able to handle his family better than I did myself.

Future Prediction of my Grandchildren when they reach my Current Age

Life is changing, and it is made of valuable lessons that experience teaches us every day in our lives. At my current age, my grandchildren will probably be completing their higher education and others getting married. Since I am raising my son into a responsible and God fearing man, I believe at my current age my grandchildren will be able to retain the values and discipline that I am currently instilling on my son as he is growing up. My grandchildren are going to be an epitome of honor and wisdom when they get at my age through the knowledge that I am passing on to my son which he will also pass on to his children. Life is full of lessons, and it is the responsibility of those that have come before to pass on values and knowledge to their young ones which create a source of identity and sense of belonging. Families that forget their history leads to a repeat of the same history which is essential to ensure that knowledge and wisdom through current experiences can be passed on to the future generations. It is a good prediction that at my age my grandchildren will be much successful than I am with stable families and jobs. Being a single mother and raising a son alone is not an easy fete and I would like my son and his children to make relationships decisions that can last.

Elements of Continuity or Disjuncture

Number of Children

In families, the total number of children in a family can be an element of continuity or disjuncture in the future generations. The number of children that people have is shaped by their previous experiences in families. As a single mother, I am aware that there will be an element of disjuncture because I would like my son and his children to be able to have more than one child and to be in stable marriages which will provide the children with a good environment to grow. The element of disjuncture in most common in families due to changing times that require new approaches. Besides, as a mother, I will ensure that I instill values in my son's life which will make it possible for him to raise a much bigger family unit. Siblings provide essential support to each other emotionally and socially as a social unit, and it is important for my son and his children to be able to get more than one child.

Relationship between Genders

There will be a continuity in the relationship between genders in my son and his future children due to a strong Christian foundation that I will be able to instill on him. As an individual, I believe in relationships between opposite genders as opposed to same-sex relationships. I believe that my son and his children will be able to have opposite gender relationships.

Driving forces for Continuity or Disjuncture

The driving force to continuity and disjuncture in lives of my son and his children will be based on the values and family culture that is being developed and which existed and passed on from grandparents. Continuity and disjuncture in families are informed by the experience of the children and the values set in the families which restricts the type of relationships as well as the number of children. Children in a family view their parents as role models, and they adopt the same family management and values in their families. As a result, there will be continuity regarding gender relationships because my grandparents stood for opposite-sex relationships and disjuncture in the number of children based on the experiences of my son growing alone in a single parent home.