The effects of culture

 Hello everyone! I have done some research on a topic that is a little bit different than last week's but still has a lot of similarities. Last week we talked a lot about different family theories and what their affects are. This week we are going to talk about culture. This isn't necessarily just about culture in one's own country; it relates more to family culture as a whole, which of course includes the culture in one's country. We are going to take a look at some research that was done regarding culture and what affect it can have on the family. Now there are a lot of things that we could focus on but first I want to get a solid definition of the word culture.

The definition of culture is the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular people, nation, or other social groups such as the family, etc. Culture within the walls of a home can drive the way a family functions and communicates. Culture is values and beliefs that a family shares. Many different things can have affect on culture. Today I wanted to talk about a few of those things.

There was some research conducted on Mexican families who have crossed the border in order to have more opportunity. The people who were interviewed were kept anonymous. The research was to see what kind of affects it had on the family. In most cases, the husband would plan leave to go to America for a while to get enough money to have the rest of the family cross. In most cases, the original plan was to have the separation last a year, it looked to be more like three years. A separation that long had some negative affects. The parents had the best intentions. They weren't necessarily poor in Mexico, but the United States had much more opportunity for their children. When the family would finally reunite in America, it was harder than they imagined. In Mexico for example, the family was usually very close to extended family and being so far away from them was very difficult especially because they would participate in cultural activities together. Some families reported that participating in cultural activities just wasn't the same as it used to be. Not only that, but there were some issues with the relationships in the family. For example, because the wife and the husband were separated for three years, it was difficult for them to get used to each other again. One even reported that it took a whole year before they were able to adjust to each other. 

While all of that was going on, the kids were struggling because of the language barrier. At school, they would choose to go be around the other Mexican kids. It's interesting to see how we naturally gravitate towards familiarity. One of the girls in one of the families talked about how she has developed severe depression since the move. She talked about how much she missed Mexico and that everything was happy there. As we can see from this research, large changes in situation, location, or environment can have huge affects on how a family functions and operates. Some of the kids hardly ever saw their parents because they were always at work which caused a lack of communication. The family felt like they weren't as close as they were in Mexico. These things all had an effect on their culture. Over all, the move to America gave them new opportunities but it also seemed to have caused a rift in their relationships as a whole. 

It makes you wonder, what kind of effects do we have on the culture of our family? What kind of a culture do we want to have? And how do we change the culture to what we feel like it needs to be? I'm not saying that change is bad. Sometimes change is what helps a family grow closer together. This is why I think it's so important to pray and seek inspiration from our Father in heaven. Like I said before, families are a huge part of His plan for us. He knows what would help us grow together as a family. A family whose values are centered on the love and teachings of Jesus Christ is a family who will be able to endure any trial. I invite the parents/spouses reading this to pray and ask your Heavenly Father how you can improve the culture in your own home. He loves you and wants to bless your family.