Families and Roles

So far, I have found this class to be very interesting. Some of the things that we have learned in class have helped me understand my family a little better, and understand myself more. My parents got divorced when I was a baby. My mom remarried right away, and a couple years later had a little girl. Although my biological dad was still in my life, my stepdad has always been my dad. He has always been there for me and would do anything for me. He doesn't treat me any differently than his own daughter, and I am so thankful to have him in my life. My biological dad eventually remarried, and they now have two little boys. I have always considered my family to be my mom, my dad, my sister and I. Though I do have another family, consisting of my biological dad, my stepmom, and their two boys, I rarely get to see them, and that makes it very difficult. They live in Minnesota, and I maybe get to see them once a year. This class has made me realize what a family really is. Also, learning about the different roles that each member of the family has is interesting and makes me look at my family a little differently. I never really thought about the different roles that each of us plays, but it really is interesting to think about. For instance, because I am the oldest child, I have always been the test child. My parents test all of their rules on me and figure out what works and what doesn't work to make it easier on my younger sister. I think my parents are now realizing that they had it easy with me because I never really resisted the rules, but my sister likes to see what she can get away with. Thinking about the different roles that my family has makes me appreciate each member of my family a little more. I'm sure that as the more we learn in this class, they more I will reflect about my own family and understand them a little more.