Family Roles and Finances

    This week we talked about how the role of fathers and mothers has changed over the years, the importance of family work, and finances in families. These three topics are important in families because a lot of families have experienced issues on at least one of these three things.

    The role of fathers has changed over the years. In the past, fathers were more involved in their family activities, but now fathers spend more time at work and spend less time with their children. While fathers worked back then, their children also worked with them and since they worked in poor conditions (many fathers had jobs in farms), there has been the creation of laws that protects children from the harsh conditions of work since they have been negatively affected by their jobs. Since children’s health was affected negatively by the work they were doing, child labor laws have been created. The role of fathers has changed over the years, but it has some similarities from now and from back then. Fathers have the role of providing for their families. Now most people live past-faced lives. Fathers feel the pressure of earning more money since everything has a cost now. Fathers spend less time at home and they might be less involved with their children. Families can get distanced since they aren’t as involved as families were involved with each other back then.

    The role of mothers has also changed over time. In the past, mothers would stay at home caring for their children and while this is still happening in many families, many people think that being a “stay at home mom” is something bad and old-school. Since many women want equality and want to work and earn their own income, some women believe staying at home is something bad. There are a lot of negative opinions about being a stay at home mom. Another characteristic that might make being a stay at home mom something negative is that people believe that mothers aren’t able to further their education when staying at home. It is shown that moms who are at home can further their education through listening to educational radio programs, watching educational television programs, and listening to audiobooks. They can develop new hobbies and even start their own business. Being a stay at home mom has the same value as working in an office. 

    In my family, my dad is the provider and while he is busy, I know that he makes the effort to spend time with us. My mom has always been a stay at home mom since having my sisters and I. Even though their roles are different, they both make the effort to build strong relationships with us. 

    If families experience distance from one another, family work can help bring them much closer than they were before. Family work includes mundane, “mindless” tasks like washing the dishes or cleaning the house. It is said that when families spend time together during play time, they don’t bond as much as when doing family work because children usually need to focus on playing. Doing the dishes, folding laundry, sweeping and mopping the floor, and fixing the table for dinner are tasks that clean people’s minds (that is why sometimes people call them “mindless” tasks). Because people’s minds are clear when doing these tasks and chores, families who do them together get to talk about what is up to them in their lives and they get to know in which ways they are struggling or in which area of their lives they are thriving. Just the simple act of talking while doing simple activities can strengthen families because they get to know each other. While doing simple family activities like washing the dishes can make family members as equal because they are all working together on the same things. Families cooperate when doing these tasks. Families become closer when doing simple activities rather than big activities/ experiencing big events. 

    Another thing that affects people is their finances. Parents can benefit from having a budget and teaching their children about savings and budget so they can have their own when they are grown up. Having a budget helps people have control about their expenses and they also make people aware of their use of money. Many families only spend what they see on their account instead of saving and/ or having a budget which can negatively affect their financial situation. Many families are under the stress of paying off debts and figuring out how they can increase their income, but when they have a budget, they get to be more aware of their expenses. Having money put aside for emergencies can also be beneficial for families when they go through emergency situations like losing a job. I have seen my mom write out the family expenses like groceries in a little notebook to keep track of what she spends money on.