Blog Post 3 Glass Castle

I don't think there’s one family on TV that captures the American Family culture.  If you could take the Connors with their middle-class struggles and combine the Chrisley’s, then I think it would be more of an American family. 

I see the Connors living from paycheck to paycheck that most people do anymore. Their kids make fun of each other and their house is not pristine because they are too busy running. Then you have the Chrisley’s granted they are very wealthy, but I am talking more about second marriage and having kids from another marriage.

 

I see the American family more as someone bringing a child into the mix. Either spouse was married before, and they have a new set of struggles. Some it is financial struggles and some it is a step parenting. 

I grew up with twelve brothers and sisters, and my parents were from Ireland. We did not have money, but we were not as bad off financially as the Walls. I wouldn’t say our family was like other TV families, but if I could pick a movie, it would be cheaper by the dozen with Steve Martin. My parents raised us to be very independent, but with twelve kids I do not think they had a choice.  We cooked, cleaned and done our wash by 7 or 8 years old. I identified and appreciated how the Walls raised their kids to be independent, although sometimes I do believe they were pushing it with Jeanette cooking at three years old over the stove.  We never had new things, and being the oldest girl with three older brothers I always got my brothers hand me downs.  My Parents came to America and worked hard for everything and taught us to work for what we want. They were strict and raised us with very strong family values that holds true to this day, you can see a bit of the Walton’s in our family. We were not saints and we still had our struggles and issues just like every other family. 

My marriage is more like Full House TV series. I married later in life to my husband who already had a daughter. We married and had two daughters. We have my husband’s brother living with us as well. I see most of my friends in a second marriage with kids from a previous marriage.  I can identify with the struggles of being a stepparent and just the everyday struggles of being a parent. We raise our daughters in a middle ground, not strict but we don’t let them do everything they want either. Sometimes we do resemble the Walls family, I let my kids stay up as late as they want as long as there is no school. We do not have a lot of rules and if we do they are bendable depending on our mood. This is something Rosemary would do as well .I think it’s funny how I was raised so strict and now I am more of a free spirit with my girls. I do however still stick to the same values my parents taught me that Family is first.

Riding the boards