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Cncsp 227 roots presentation
Hinweis der Redaktion
- I help but think of my family when I think of who I am as a person. So, what I’m going to do today is tell the story of my family and how they have influenced me.
- My family began with my parents, me, and my brother. As you can see, I wasn’t too pleased with his arrival!
- This is my Dad, Byron. He grew up with very little. For example, they didn’t have indoor plumbing in his house until after he went away to college. These experiences are what drove my dad to be successful. He taught me compassion: he used to tell me that you should never judge (not even bullies), because you don’t know what is going on in their lives. We have had “deep” talks for as long as I can remember. He helped me look inside myself and understand who I am.
- This is my Mom, Kristi. She is my best friend. I can tell her anything. She taught me to nurture and love. She is a natural mother and she has dedicated her life to caring for others. Sometimes I’m surprised at how much she can love! (This will also come into play later in my story).
- My brother, Christofer, was born when I was 18 months old. Because we are so close in age, we fought a lot a lot, but we were (and are) extremely close.
- Here are a few more pictures from when we were little. The two on the left are from when we would play “two head.”
- When we were in high school, my brother was diagnosed with Asperger’s. I was truly devastated. I was often mean to him; he was a weird kid and I was embarrassed by him. Christofer taught me tolerance. I realized that I could never know why people were the way they were, and that people’s idiosyncrasies are gifts. I love how he talks to himself, or how he gets so excited about a topic that he talks too fast for anyone to understand him. His “Asperger-y” traits are some of my favorite traits.
- I am incredibly proud of the man he’s become.
- We had a very traditional family structure. Mom, Dad, two kids. My dad worked and my mom stayed at home.
- We were (and are) a family of privilege. Upper-middle class, time for leisure, vacation, and bonding. I never worried as a child.
- Our family structure drastically changed when I was 16 and we invited my best friend, Derek, to join our household. He had a very unstable home life and his mother had kicked him out. I think my Dad wanted to help out because of his own difficult childhood, and my Mom has an endless capacity for love. We welcomed him into our family while encouraging him to patch things up with his.
- I’m not sure I realized how much him moving in would change our relationship. Things were difficult, I felt like in a way I lost what our friendship had been. It became something else. He became family. Things feel a lot better now that the transition is complete
- When I was a sophomore in college, Derek’s son, Paxon, was born. Paxon is amazing. He is so emotionally aware, sensitive, and smart. He’ll be 5 in February. Derek is an amazing father, and it’s been wonderful to see him grow into that role.
- Jolean was my brother’s first girlfriend, and his first heartbreak! They eventually became close friends after breaking up. She moved into our home around the same time Paxon was born.
- Masie is the main reason Jolean ended up moving into our home. She was dating a friend of mine, Mason, when he passed away. A month later, she found out she was pregnant with Masie. Masie just turned 4. She is truly a joy and blessing. She’s a happy, extremely intelligent child. Learning how to talk to her about her Dad has recently been a struggle for the whole family, especially Jolean. Masie seems to have given Jolean a purpose.
- There have definitely been struggles throughout the transition into this new family. We brought together people who were raised in entirely different homes with different life experiences. Despite the struggle, I wouldn’t change this family for the world. And we are a family. Derek and Jolean are my siblings. Masie calls my mom “Grandma” and claims that Paxon is her “big brother.” I never knew I was capable of such love until Masie & Paxon became a part of my life.
- My brother got married this summer to his high school sweetheart! This might have been the most difficult transition for me thus far. I had a difficult time accepting Cassie, but things have gotten a lot better and I am so happy to have her as a sister-in-law.
- SO: this is my new family, and they are the people who have made me who I am: compassionate, tolerant, loving, and profoundly aware of the privileged life I have. I know that we were privileged to even have the resources to welcome more people into our family. My experiences will help me as a psychologist: I am continuously confronted by my privilege, and an awareness of one’s privilege is necessary in therapy.