Family Cultures

We all grow up in a variety of different cultures. It depends where we are from, who our families are, our social status, etc. But one consistency throughout the different cultures is the importance of having a family. When we don't put our families first we can see our family relations start to crumble. The family culture and the family togetherness will fade away overtime. 

One example of this is with Mexican families. Some Mexican families travel to America to experience the “American dream.” Their number one reason to go to America is so their children can have a better life. Living in America will give their children better opportunities for jobs, they can learn English, etc.

In the reading (found below) It contains stories from 10 different Mexican families. They all wanted to travel to America to have that better future for their family. The father would normally go over to America to get a job and lay the foundation for their families. Many families would pay “coyotes” to help them get over the border. Once they were over they would find a low paying job and try to save enough money for their families to make the trip over the border. The families would later come to America (illegally) and try to combine their family again.

What’s interesting with all of this is that the families that came over to America couldn’t find as good of jobs. They would have higher up jobs in Mexico, but now work manual labor jobs. They would have made more money in Mexico. And since the fathers were separated from the rest of their family while they were in Mexico trying to prepare things for their families to come, the family fell apart. The father was off working and their focus was on money. The mothers and the children were left at home and they had to start to provide for themselves. The mother would normally go to work and still do motherly things around the house. They had to learn to adapt without their father at home.

When the families were reunited, they had to learn how to be a family again. They usually had gone a couple months or years apart. When they were reunited, they had to combine their two different lives. A lot of the families struggled with the new culture, new surroundings, new language, new lives. The children didn’t feel as united with their families.

With this study, you see that there were a lot of negative aspects to moving to the states. I am not saying every immigrant that has traveled to a different country has had a negative experience. But when you look at it, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, and that can affect the family.

Another example of a family’s culture, and the effects on the children is a story about Tammy’s family. Tammy’s son is not impressed with how his mother raised them and he wishes their living situation was better. Matt has goals to go to college and create a better living situation for his own family. But the second video shows Matt and his family and where they are years later from the first video. Tammy still had her same job, and still had to walk to work. Matt didn’t graduate because he had to take care of his daughter. There life remained the same, it was the same culture they had when they were young.

Even though Matt had specific goals for himself, he was still raised in this culture. He was still in that environment to not really push yourself. He and his family are doing the best they can do for their specific circumstances. It is important to know your culture, know your family, and know what you are capable of. And I think a big message through these readings and videos is that families need to stick together. The families discussed have all been through a lot. And their dreams didn’t necessarily come true- but in the end, they still had their families. With a good family and support system they can work together and create a joyful life together no matter their circumstances.

Resources:  "The Cost of Getting Ahead: Mexican Family System Changes After Immigration" by                                                 Martica L. Bacallao and Paul R. Smokowski

                   Tammy's story #1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ZpauS5Doo

                   Tammy's story #2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqs4_Zs2GvI