Is there really an in between when dealing with your
background? You’re categorized by either following in prior generations past's footsteps, or
completely straying away. As we grow to develop our own personal views and
interests, we try and balance what we've learned and what we think for
ourselves. The best way to keep up family “tradition” is to keep the values and
morals instilled in us while acting on what will help us get to where we want
in the long run.
I come from a separated household with parents who were both
raised in two parent homes. My mother’s family wasn’t wealthy, but stable. The
hard work and dedication of my mother’s parents bred her to be the respectable,
intelligent, and independent woman she is today. I do not know much about where
their roots have come from because the generation filled with knowledge has slowly
passed on while I was still a young child. My mother has taken the values she
was raised with, and passed down these same family values to her children.
My father’s family comes from a multi-ethnic background
including Native American, White, and French. My grandmother’s family was
Cherokee Native American and my grandfather’s French, hence the name Portier.
My grandfather’s first language was French when he lived in Louisiana, but was bullied as a child after moving to Texas which made him ashamed of his heritage. Once he learned English, he vowed never
to speak French again nor teach his children. The only thing about his family
that has been shared is that our name was spelled Poitier (like Sidney) and
changed on my grandfather’s birth certificate to its current spelling. This
unfortunate happening has influenced the trace of my family’s background until
modern day technology was developed. Although my grandparents are still
together, they really aren't “together”.
They have lived completely separate lives for as long as I can remember.
This lifestyle choice seems to have rubbed off on my father which ultimately
caused the split of my household.
As I get older, I constantly think of the ways I want to
raise my own family. I will take all the things I've seen and learned from my
parents, positive and negative, and use them as a basis for my own family. When
I begin to develop my family, I have plans to be successful enough so that we
are better off. Not necessarily extremely wealthy, but in a good living
situation. My family will all be raised in the same household, and have many
opportunities to travel and expand their cultural knowledge. I want my children
to have exposure to as many languages and cultures as possible. I feel that a
positive environment and ample opportunity exposure will encourage my children
to want success for themselves. Not only will their experiences expand their
knowledge, but it may also help them get bigger and better opportunities
presented to them in the long run.
