The Ideal Family in Humboldt County

Topic: Ideal Family Forms

Source: The Farmers Market in the Plaza around noon on Saturday November 12th 

Relation: Observing the "ideal" family in Humboldt County and comparing these observations with past family ideals from generation to generation.

Description: Yesterday, my friends and I went to the last Farmers Market in the Plaza. After looking at all the vendors, we settled down for awhile on the lawn to watch a puppet show and enjoy to sun. While sitting on the grass I observed the families that were surrounding us. In fact, every time I hang out at the Plaza during the day, there are always families there playing and having a good time. Many of the parents at the Farmers Market were sitting with there kids watching the puppet show too, laughing at all the jokes the puppeteer was making that the children were too young to understand. Most of their parents let their kids sit as close to the stand as they wanted without the parents constant supervision. Other parents let their kids climb the tree across the lawn and they didn't seem to worry about the younger ones falling. While other mothers and fathers chased their children around groups of people standing. I even saw one father swing his daughter around in circles by her feet while she screamed in excitement. As I watched these families play together in pure bliss, it reminded me of my childhood when my dad picked me up and swung me around and let me climb the highest trees. I thought that this was the ideal form of what a family should be like, at least in the culture I was raised in.

family at the Plaza

Analysis: By observing the typical happy family in Arcata, I found the type of family relationship that I thought to be ideal for my future. Yet, it also made me think of how the form of a family as a whole has changed through the generations. My mom told me of her childhood and her relationship with her mother. Being the oldest of 6 siblings and part of a broken home, my mother helped my grandmother with the younger children, other chores around the house, and also providing a proportion of their families income. 

Nowadays, my mom would never ask me to provide the household with money, even though I have been raised to loan her money if she needs it for a short period of time. My mother would also never ask me to help raise her children, even though I don't have younger siblings, I wouldn't be totally responsible for them. Also, my mothers freedom as a child was much more strict than childhood was. I was allowed to run around outside, climb trees, go to my friends house as often as I wanted, eat more candy than she was allowed to, catch bugs, and have a boyfriend whenever I wanted when I was older. My mother had many more responsibilities when she was younger compared to me.  

My mom also told me that she never wanted my brothers and I to have the same childhood as she did. She wanted to be able to fully provide for us and for us to always have our father around. In my mothers point of view, and also my point of view, I think I was raised in a good family and had a wonderful childhood according to my norms.

my family