Eleanor

__Family Traditions__ “Well my mom wasn’t very traditional, but my stepmom was very traditional.” said my dad. “My family was traditional in work, but not in gender roles. My mom always believed that girls could do whatever boys could do.”my mom answered. Both of my parents used the word “traditional” when they were referring to their families, but what does it mean to have “traditional” family, or to have “traditional” views? Is a traditional family a family where the dad works and makes all of the money, and the mom stays home? Is a traditional family where the men do the heavy duty work, and the women do the other household chores? Tradition-the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, etc. from generation to generation. My dad’s dad got married and then divorced, and he said that his first mother was very untraditional, but his second mother was very traditional. His first mom was very independent, and worked, which at the time was very uncommon. She believed that women could do just as much as men could and she was a very strong woman. His second mother was very conventional, and she worked from home and took care of the kids and cooked and cleaned. These two experiences shaped by dad and how he now raises his family. His first mom emphasized her thoughts on gender, and a non traditional family, to shape my dad’s thoughts on a traditional family.Before my brother went to college, my brother did the harder chores around the house and i did little chores, it was traditional in a sense that my brothers were doing the chores that required more work, but non traditional in the sense that the kids, no matter what gender were doing chores. My dad and mom work and they both do chores around the house, and so my brothers and I. A “conventional” family would be very different. In a “conventional” family, the father would work, and the mother would take care of the kids and do the household chores with the girls. My mom didn’t have traditional views either. When she grew up her dad went to work and her mom stayed at home and took care of the kids, but her mother was involved in the women’s rights movement, and always talked to my mom and her siblings about how women can have the same rights as men. She told them to always try to achieve your goals, now matter how big, regardless of gender. My mom grew up to be a lawyer, and works during the week, and does equal chores around the house as my dad. My dad’s second mother, had very traditional views, and worked at home and took care of the kids and cleaned. His second mom didn’t set the rules, only enforced them. His father would stress how important schoolwork was and discipline, and his mom would punish them if they didn’t obey their father’s rules. His mother and father had very traditional views and my father grew up in a traditional family. Traditions change over time however. For instance, when my mom’s mother was involved in the women’s rights movement, that was very uncommon back then, and not a lot of women stood up and said that they could do just what boys could do. And my father’s first mother was very independent and got divorced which were as well both very uncommon. However, nowadays, many women are strong and stand up for their rights, and many women are strong and independent, and more than ½ of marriages end in divorce. Now, women also strive for success and reach for their goals. In a study more than 80% of college women want to be either a doctor or a lawyer. Traditions develop and change over time, and now there are still many women that work at home and men that make the money and work.But, due to tradition change it is a lot more common that women work and the roles of men and women are split up now due to changing traditions, which will continue to change.


 * good place for a quote from your dad--"When Tommy and Billy were little boys, I..." MrC

I like the topic, and you have good examples from your interviews. The sentence that I made pink should be written as a full sentence rather than like a definition. Also, try to add more generalizations or examples from a broader place so that it is not all about your family, but the topic in general. -Allison Dammann

Give examples not just from your parents but from your own life ﻿- TAS

Good, a little confusing at times (ex. my mother's dad's stepmother's etc.), good examples but instead of just stating what your mom did you should interview her and see her reactions by her family and peers- Conor Winton

Good topic to have. Try to elabprtate a bit more to maek the topic a little less confusign at some points. -Gwen