Family First

After going over the interviews with both my parents – it is clear what is at the center of both their hearts: their children. When mother became pregnant, from what I gathered, the decision to move back to Australia was purely her own and she was not going to be swayed any other way. In her own words, “if your dad was going to be a part of your life, he had to come back here as well”. Both my parents love and have always wanted their own children and I believe that their own relationship has taken a far second priority in their lives compared to my brother and I. After all, they were together for less than a year before my mother became pregnant and then suddenly they were married and had a baby.

My parents come from very two distinctly different backgrounds and without our family, they don’t have much in common. Contradicting the social movement in marriage in the last 50 years, neither of my parents display a large sense of individualism. My father moved away from his family and friends to a different country and my mother is not particularly social outside of the family. Their entire life together has been shaped around providing and nurturing my brother and I. Their ideals of a family and marriage are almost similar to the early 1900’s period of companionate marriage. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however with the non-traditional gender roles and parenting styles they each bring to the family, it is interesting to see this rather ancient overarching trait present. Overall, I am positive that my parents love each other, but in our unconventional family, it’s fairly clear that the thing that strings them together, are my brother and I.

Studying at Dartmouth College, so far away from home, has already allowed me to realize just how important my family is in my life. But, this sociological family study has taught me so much more about why I was raised the way I was. Luckily for me, my conclusions have led to realize how much love and privilege I have been given from my parents. Furthermore, it has only reinforced my beliefs that, going against conventional wisdom, families can most definitely thrive in a non-traditional family environment. My parents have taught me how to work hard and be grateful for every opportunity I’m given. They have shown me what a truly egalitarian family looks like, an example that I can only hope to emulate in the future. Finally, they have shown me what is most important in life: family and being happy. I am honored to be a product of their own lives.

 

Thank you for reading!